Wasteland Fairy tales: Déjà vu, Baby
by VaultGirl
Summary: As the courier investigates the Legion's abduction of a female NCR officer from Ranger Station Charlie, she finds herself uncovering demons from her past as well as Boone's. FCourierxBoone - M for language, violence, slight romance
1. Chapter 1:  The Key Emissary

Fallout: New Vegas and its content are the property of Bethesda.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Female courier + Boone - some light romance, alot of cursing. The chapters are a combination of two styles - used a fairy tale like format when providing background information (stuff most of us know, but thought it'd give it a bit of a different spin) + first person narrative by the courier (made it feel more like the game to me this way). Courier has no name - call her whatever you like. It's my first story - tried to be accurate, but some of this might be considered AU (or not).

* * *

CHAPTER ONE - The Key Emissary

* * *

_Once upon a time, their were three kings. The first was the great Imperator. His army marched under the flag of a powerful Red Bull. This king was merciless, his laws harsh, and forced his people to live by the old ways, rejecting all progress and things new. The second was the Militant, with an army that rivaled that of the Imperator and flew under the flag of the Two-headed Bear. Rule under this king was more progressive, but the people where heavily taxed and his ambition for continuous expansion often left his soldiers spread too thin to be effective. The third, the Autocrat, was a spellbinding wizard who had the ability to manipulate people into doing his will. He was the least powerful of the three in appearance and by far the wealthiest. _

_All three kings desired control of the MeadowsLand, a large expanse ravaged by wars of old but at its center contained an enchanted area that gave whoever possessed it unlimited power. The armies of the Militant liberated the heart of this area from the Imperator's army, and guarded it with their very being - using the power to help it's people and to strengthen it's hold on the area. But the other two Kings secretly plotted to take it away and destroy the other, patiently biding their time until they saw the right time to strike. _

_Now, the Autocrat was quite old and in his younger years had built a grand army of phantom knights. His army was kept secret from his enemies, but they were useless to him as he could not awaken them without a special key that was lost during the Great Cataclysm. The Autocrat sent seekers out for the key,and after 200 years of searching the key seekers finally succeeded at their task. The Autocrat desperately needed the key delivered to him, but feared a large protective convoy would attract the attention of his enemies. So he had his key seekers crafted 6 decoys of the key with each one given to a different emissary to be delivered to the City of lights, the home of the Autocrat. None of the emissaries knew what they were transporting, and the Autocrat hoped secrecy would deliver his key safe and unnoticed. _

_But this is not what happened. The emissary who carried the real key was ambushed by the Autocrat's most faithful liege who learned of his king's plans and wanted the army for himself. The liege and his minions ambushed the key emissary, tied her up, shot her in the head using a powerful lightning spell, and buried her. By all rights, the key emissary should have died that day - except the Autocrat was a bit wise after such a long life, and had one of his knights follow her. The knight dug her up and took her to a healer who restored her body but was unable to restore parts of her memory that were damaged by such a powerful spell. All she could recollect was the checkered tunic of the man who tried to kill her. The Key emissary, eager to find her attempted murderer and to learn why such actions were taken against her, set on a journey across the MeadowsLand for truth and vindication. And this is how her story begins..._

* * *

_Good Springs - 10 pm_

Not much to say about a place like Good Springs. Just another small town out here in the Mojave wasteland - an old abandoned mining community turned living ghost town back in its day from what I understand. Wouldn't say there has been much improvement since then either - besides a few houses, the only thing out here worth mentioning is a general store, a saloon, and an abandoned school house run by some mighty angry green insects. And that concludes the grand tour. At least the people here are decent enough. Not sure why I keep coming back here, though. I was left to die here. Could say I was reborn here. Wish I could remember my life before I woke up at old Doc Mitchell's up on the hill, but I guess I should just be thankful I woke up at all. Most people don't take a round to the head too well.

"_You should have walked away from this one_," echoed an all too familiar voice from the end of the bar. We're in the Prospector Saloon - not sure the best way to describe this place. Has a bar, a juke box, a dog at the front door. No prostitutes, no gambling or slot machines, but the owner makes a decent moonshine, and it's always pleasantly dark no matter how eye-blindingly bright it is outside. In a way, the place is kind of comforting. Nothing ever changes here in Good Springs, and no one is ever in this damn Saloon. Well...except this visit. She was waiting for me. An older woman with a diminutive statue and short curly hair - would guess she's in her early 50s. I'm horrible with names, but I remember those dark, tear-swollen eyes. She came to meet the courier of Good Springs - the one who's been helping people across the Mojave wasteland. Been waiting here for weeks in hopes I'd stop by. A mother begging for help to find missing daughter, Stella, now eagerly waiting back in town for what I can find - how could I just walk away?

The man behind the voice stood up, grabbed his bottle of whiskey, and took a seat closer to me. He's taller than most, fair skinned, built like he's done his fair share of push ups in his life, and smells of tobacco, sweat, mojave, and gun powder. He wears a faded NCR 1st Recon uniform - tan BDUs with a set of small pockets going across his chest. Can't mistake that beret though - deep crimson in color that never seems to fade. Good ol' Boone.

I almost fell off my bar chair when he started pouring a shot of whiskey into my glass from his own bottle - maybe he thinks sharing may ease the pain of what he's about to say. He caps his bottle and leans toward me. "_That woman's daughter is dead..best thing she could do is accept that and move on."_ I've been traveling with Boone around New Vegas for the last few months - ex NCR sniper. We've gotten alot of dirt under our feet together, gotten into alot of skirmishes - too many times I didn't think I'd live long enough to see my next drink. But we always managed to pull through. I'm not saying you can really get to know a person in such a short amount of time - but I know enough about him to know that he never talks - and when he does, I should give him the benefit of the doubt and listen. Especially if he's sharing his whiskey.

"Ranger station Charlie, Boone." My eyes meet his mirrored shades. His face has no expression, like he's made of stone. Never an expression with him. Ever. "That is what she said."

_"I know what she said."_

"But her daughter's not dead. The recording said she was taken hostage."

"_Hostage? The Legion doesn't take NCR as hostages. Wait - you think they're holding her for ransom? NCR dollars to them are as worthless as Legion denarii are to the Republic. You may not have noticed, but most Legion camps don't have holding cells. They have crosses. For the Legion, NCR come in only two flavors: dead and dying. She may have been taken alive, but I guarantee she's dead now._"

Don't really want to think about that. I turn away, returning my attention to my drink. I take a quick breathe and down the shot. Burns going down, but I don't really care. Seems like everything has been going numb lately - I haven't really enjoyed some of the things I've seen and had to do within the past few months. Sometimes wish I could start all over - just be a courier again. Imagine that might be better. I've grown weary of the nightmares - would be nice to actually put one of them to rest.

I look back over at Boone, and he's still giving me the hard stare. Guess I better come clean with what I'm thinking. "I stopped by Charlie on the way to Novac - the first day I met you. Everything was fine then - even played a few hands of caravan with some of the guys there before I left. When I met Andy and he said he lost contact, I figured the radio must have gone bad. I *knew* they were ok, I had just seen them." I pour myself another drink and down it just as quick before continuing. "But they weren't ok. Wasn't expecting to find anyone dead much less ALL of them. And they had been that way for a while - like it happened right after I left. Legion left the place a mess - bodies rigged with mines. But that holotape recording they left - boasting how they took that female NCR officer alive like there wasn't a damn thing anybody could do about it. Couldn't help but think - had I stayed a few hours longer...could have been me they were talking about on that holotape... Could have been me laying face down on a frag mine."

I go to pour myself another shot, but Boone grabs my glass and pulls it towards him. "_But it wasn't you. Look - don't assume they told the truth on that tape - they left it to shake people up, mess with their heads. It's what the Legion is good at._" He slides the glass back toward me and stands up.

I go to pour one last drink, except I miss the shot glass entirely and pour directly onto the bar. The surface wasn't quite level, and all my beloved whiskey starts dripping straight onto my gear bag. By the time I snatch it clear, I hear a quick zap, followed by some faint smoke. I reach inside and pull out the problem - whiskey went straight into a stealthboy I had sitting on top of everything. I frown as I try to shake liquid out of it. Goddamn it...just had to be the stealthboy. These things are expensive.

Figuring the universe was telling me I'd had enough, I turn my glass over. I throw the stealthboy back in my bag, and start gathering my gear to leave. "Suppose you're right. Figure I'm heading to bed. I'll break the news to the old lady in the morning - be done with this." Boone nods, gathers his rifle and gear, and starts heading out the door.

Right as he steps in the doorway, I say "Listen, I have some business I need to take care of here - nothing special. Some trading, working out supplies - that kind of thing. Nothing you need to stick around for. Why don't you head over to the Lucky 38, take a little breather. I left some caps in the nightstand in case you need anything. I'll meet up with you in a few days."

Boone raises an eyebrow, "_What are you planning?_"

"Me? Nothing," I cough. "I said it was done. I meant it... Just need some time to craft up some cactus water, repair kits, that kind of thing. Nothing more." Yeah, I'm lying. I don't know if I'm planning anything or not to be honest - just trying to give myself some leeway in case I decide to do something.

Boone says, "_Alright. Meet up at the Lucky 38 then_", and walks out the door.

I hang around the bar for a few minutes to give him a bit of a head start, throw my gearbag on my shoulder and then walk outside. The mojave sky is beautiful at night, casting the whole landscape in dark blue hues. My forearm is encased in a warm amber halo as I flip my pipboy on. I scroll through a few screens and flip the switch to play the holotape. It's a male voice.

_...This is a message to the NCR from the Legion. We are coming for you. Run and we will catch you. Hide and we will find you. No matter what you do you are going to die. We took one of the women alive...*end recording*_

So brief, yet goes straight to the point. We took one alive. I couldn't tell the old woman what I knew earlier - guess that makes me a coward I suppose. Sometimes it's better to not know the truth, but who has the right to make that decision when it comes to the fate of another's loved one? Me? Surely not. The NCR? Boone? I can't agree with that either. This woman came to me for help - for hope. Her daughter, Stella, is probably dead, but I can't tell her mother that unless I know for sure. Going to Fortification Hill, the heart of all Legion operations, by myself would be a serious mistake. Going with Boone would be even worse. But - maybe I don't need to go there direct. There is only one way in and out of the Fort - if I go there, maybe I can find the information I'm looking for.

I'm going to Cottonwood Cove.


	2. Chapter 2: The Lovers and The Witch

CHAPTER TWO - The Lovers and The Witch

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_In the City of Lights under the rule of the Autocrat, there lived a beautiful young commoner. She was full of life, strong willed, and enjoyed talking with the myriad of visitors that came to the city. During one of her daily strolls she met a young man who was unlike any other visitor she had ever met. He was a solider from the Militant's army, very quiet, and had a very straight face. She was quite intuitive when it came to people, and she noticed that he never had any kind of expression on his face whatsoever. He later admitted that he was unable to smile or frown as he had forgotten how and as a result his face had turned to stone over time. This did not suit the woman at all. She became determined to make the man smile again. So they continued to meet every time he visited the city, and she always had a long list of stories and jokes waiting to share with him. He always listened intently, and as time past he eventually was able to express a small smile and this delighted the woman intensely. This delighted the man as well, but he was still learning how to show it. Over time, they both realized that they cared for each other immensely and they were always the happiest when they were together. They decided to get married and the idea of living the rest of their lives together put the biggest smile on the man's face. They were truly happy._

_Now, the young couple was eager to start their new life together, so they moved away from the City of Lights to a small town deep within the Meadowsland where the man's best friend lived. By the gates of the town stood a giant green dragon that was frozen in time by an old evil witch who also lived there. None of the town inhabitants knew she was a witch as she had enchanted the entire town with a spell of disguise so no one could see her for who she truly was. They only saw her as an innocent old inn keeper. That is, all except the young common woman - she did not know of witches, but she knew the old woman was different somehow._

_The witch could tell her enhancements had no affect upon the woman and this displeased her. She wanted to get rid of the common woman, and thought to herself, "Surely, someone so beautiful thrives off the attention others give her. If everyone in town hated her - she will want to leave." So she cast a spell of disfavor to make all the townspeople dislike her. The spell worked but not as the witch intended. They did hate her - but most kept their dislike of the woman to themselves. The woman sensed no one liked her, but she was strong willed and didn't care what others felt about her. She was happy living there, and was determined to stay. The woman merely stopped talking to people and reduced the amount of time she spent outside her home._

_Weeks had past and the witch became upset that the woman still had not left. "This is taking too long - she can ignore strangers, but I'll give her something she can't ignore," she thought. She found a much stronger spell, a spell of jealousy, and cast it upon the man's best friend. This seemed to work better as the best friend and the woman bickered all the time now. The hatred of the town folk and the verbal disagreements with her husband's friend made the woman even more desolate, but she merely withdrew from the town entirely. By this time, she had a child on the way so she didn't mind spending most of her days in her home, only leaving when she was by her husband's side._

_Finally, the witch finally had had enough. "If she won't leave on her own, I'll have her removed," she thought. She waited until the woman's husband left for work one night and cast one of the strongest spells in her arsenal, the spell of personal desire. In the realm of powerful magic users it was a low level wish spell but the highest any mere mortal could ever manage, being difficult to master and had to be performed exact or it would not work. She bound the name of a woman to a scroll, inscribed the desired deed using the head of a pin, then buried it in the secretest part of the casters home. The completed spell caused a group of Imperator soldiers to appear and they immediately rushed into the woman's home. She tried to fight back but there were too many. She cried for help, but her cries were ignored and help never came. The soldiers tied her up and drug her away. Finally, the woman was gone and the evil witch was happy._

* * *

**5 pm - an hour out from Cottonwood Cove**

There is nothing quite like tracking through the Mojave wastes. If the giant wildlife doesn't get you, the gangs of assholes definitely will. Killed 3 bark scorpions, 4 giant ants, 6 feral ghouls, and ran like hell from 7 giant radscorpions. At least I didn't have to hide in the back of a bus for 6 hours from one like I did on my first trip to the Mojave Output.

I set up a small camp within an outcropping of rocks - can never have too much cover, especially if the wrong person or thing walks up on you. I flip on my pip-boy on and started reading:

_We, the representatives of the Consul Officiorum, have this day bargained and purchased from Jeannie May Crawford of the township of Novac the exclusive rights to ownership and sale of the slave Carla Boone for the sum of one thousand bottle caps, and those of her unborn child for the sum of five hundred bottle caps, the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged. We warrant the slave and her young to be sound, healthy, and slaves for life. We covenant with the said, Jeannie May Crawford, that we have full power to bargain and sell said slave and her offspring. Payment of an additional five hundred bottle caps will be due pending successful maturation of the fetus, the claim to which shall be guaranteed by possession of this document._

_M. Scribonius Libo Drusus et al._  
_Administrators of M. Licinius Crassus, Consul Officiorum ab Famulatus_

I remember what Boone said the day I showed him this - _It'd be like them to keep paperwork_. If that were true for Jeannie May, it was even more so for the Legion slavers. If they went to all the trouble for a bill of sale, they must keep impeccable records. The plan is simple - sneak in, see what records I can find, and sneak back out. All I have to do is wait for nightfall - it would be the best time to try this. Most of the legionaries would be asleep - and the less awake soldiers the better. I flip on my pip-boy radio to Mr. New Vegas, grab a bottle of vodka, and get to waiting.

* * *

**1:30 am**

I'm walking along a paved road heading towards the heart of the cove now. The area is bowl shaped, surrounded by mountains and rocky terrain on the east and west sides, with a river on the north side. The road is lined with lit torches, and I see a few tall wooden poles scattered around...and a few people crucified on them. Why the hell am I out here again? I force myself to keep moving. As I get closer, I see a rock with some writing on it: _"The Sun is Killing Me"_. Nice. I walk up to examine it - turns out to be hollowed out. Finally a bit of good luck. I open it and find some sundries in there - old ammo, some bobby pins- the kinds of things that come in handy out here in the Mojave. Can't imagine anyone leaving this behind... unless I'm the first to find it. I grab a few items out of my gear bag and throw it inside for safe keeping. Better to travel light for this one.

I head south of the cove, and take position above a nearby outlook. I scan the area using the scope of my rifle - there are several buildings and tents scattered around, further out a pier - I see the occasional guard walking but no where near the amount of people I expected. I look at the tents and see several sleeping soldiers - which should make this go easier. Near the tents, I see a white two story building donning the red flag with the bull of the Legion. None of the other buildings are marked like that - probably means that's the one I'm looking for. I switch my stealth-boy on and head in to check the place out.

I head upstairs first - looks to be the living quarters of someone important. The room is deserted, but looks recently lived in. There's a desk in the middle of the room and a sleeping area to the back right. I check the desk first - find a sheet of paper containing some Legion patrol notes, some slave transactions and communications with Caesar. Doesn't look like what I'm exactly looking for, but I fold it up and put it in my pocket anyways. I also find a collection of NCR dog tags in the desk drawer as well - that's a bit troubling. Guess I should expect that kind of thing here of all places. I pocket those as well. I check a few lockers and don't see anything else helpful. I decide to check out downstairs.

The bottom floor looks to be an area for more general use. There are several file cabinets, a desk with a radio, a few gun cabinets, stacks of supply crates - that kind of thing. I check the desk and find nothing. I check the file cabinets and find a ledger listing slave transactions and some NCR attack plans. I pocket both, hoping the ledger will contain the info I'm looking for. My stealth-boy is about to run out, so I figure it's time to get the hell out. As I turn around to head out the door, four legionaries walk in. GREAT, just great. I'm crouching in the far corner of the room opposite the door, hesitating to move. Sometimes quick movements under cloak can be seen, so I start inching my way very slowly towards the exit. Luckily the room is a bit dim and the legionaries don't seem to notice me, far more concerned with discussing the latest gossip around camp. I'm nervous that my stealth-boy is going to run out before I can get out of here, so I pull out my spare. I can daisy chain them together and extend my stealth time, so I clamp the new one onto my pip-boy and flip it on.

And that's when all hell broke loose. Something about the stealth-boy and pip-boy did not get along - both sparked and while the stealth-boy did keep me invisible, it also was focusing the light of my pip-boy creating a halo affect. I looked like a giant light bulb. The legionaries jumped back in surprise when it happened, and I make a mad dash to the door. I try to push through the door, but 2 legionaries tackle me down to the ground. I struggle under their weight - kicking and punching to get them off. Right about that time, I looked up and see the bottom of a boot about to hit my face. Everything goes black after that.


	3. Chapter 3:  The Soulstealer

Author's note: I didn't really have Gannon as a follower too long, so his dialog may not sound totally like him (if so, BIG apologies to the Arcade fans!). I just always imagine he would get along with a female courier in a slightly catty kind of way...Also, hope I didn't lose anyone with the whole "time, now" discussion in this chapter - when you get to the end, you'll see it's not really designed to make too much sense...

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CHAPTER THREE - The Soulstealer

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_(continued)_

_The Man loved his wife dearly. He would leave their home to work at night, and always came home to find her sleeping soundly in their bed. He loved to watch her sleep as she always looked so at peace and content. He was not a man of many words, but he appreciated the smallest things in life. He loved his wife more than she could ever know, and treasured everyday he spent with her._

_One day, he arrived home from work and was surprised to find the front door of his home had been broken inward. He ran directly in to where his wife slept, but she was not there. The room was in disarray and showed signs of a struggle. He yelled out his wife's name, but there was no answer._

_Now, the Man was not a normal soldier in the Militant's army. He was a soulstealer, a title bestowed only to a special few. He had been trained to track people by the aural trail their souls left. He could also read a person's soul, and tell if that person was of good or bad intentions. The weapon he carried was an enchanted bow that allowed him to see very far and shoot extremely accurate at any distance. One hit from one of his arrows would separate the soul from a person's body, killing them instantly. He was not happy as a soulstealer, having had to do many things he didn't agree with. He had happily left his old life when he married her, but now that she was taken... he knew he'd have to embrace that life once again if he had any hope of finding her. With a sadness in his heart, he focused his mind and looked around. He found his wife's trail, but also of that of the others. He could tell her abductors were Imperator soldiers, the mortal enemy of his former life. He grabbed his bow and started following their trail as swiftly as he could, knowing he had little time to spare._

_He ran and ran and eventually the trail led him to an Imperator's stronghold. He walked along a mountain ridge above the encampment and used his special bow to see if he could spot her. He picked up on the aural trail again, and followed it's path - and then ...he saw it. His wife was one within a massive group prisoners, surrounded by hundreds of Imperator soldiers. His heart sank as he stared at his frightened wife. He knew there were too many soldiers there to fight his way in and get them both out alive. He saw the slave shackles they were putting on the other prisoners. They had not gotten to her yet. He stared on helplessly, his heart pounding in his ears. He could not allow this to happen to her and their unborn child - he was desperate to save both, but he knew there was no way. He stared at her, wishing she could see him, wishing he had told her everything. Wishing for all the time together they would never have. As a soldier with slave shackles approached her, the man pulled a bow from his quiver. With eyes full of tears, he quietly mouthed "I love you" and released the string of his bow. He watched as her lifeless body collapsed to the ground, then he lowered his bow and fell to his knees. He felt both souls return to him, and disappear deep within his chest, his body absorbing and thriving off it's power just like any other kill. It was done. The Soulstealer wiped the tears from his face and returned to his feet. He knew someone was behind this evil deed, and he going to find out who and make them pay dearly. As he turned his back and started his long walk home, his face slowly turned back to stone._

* * *

**1:00 pm **

I awaken and find myself in my bed at the presidential suite of the Lucky 38. It's such a big relief to be some place familiar again after what...wait. How did I get here?

I manage to sit up, and Boone walks in. He's wearing his old merc clothing, the one with the white t-shirt. Hadn't seen him wear that since we went to Bitter Springs and defended those folks from a Legion attack. Gannon walks in right behind him carrying a cup of coffee. He looks the same as always - smug wrapped in a lab coat. Hmmm...these two almost look like they could be brothers. Funny, never noticed that before...

"_Oh look, she's awake! Are you strong enough to stand?_" Gannon asks.

I look around the room. "Unless whiskey bottles start growing legs, the answer has got to be yes," I moan as I pull myself out of bed. I check my pip-boy and my vitals look good even though I feel like hell. I'm fully dressed already, so everything seems to be in order. Well, almost.

"Does anybody know how I got here?"

Gannon swirls his coffee, "_Oh, you don't remember?_"

"No. "

"_Well that's because it hasn't happened yet._"

What did Gannon just say? Hadn't happened yet? Maybe I've been drinking too much...or maybe I need a drink.

"Wait, what?"

Gannon takes a sip from his cup while Boone stands quietly off to the side. "_You're not here yet._"

"But you're here."

"_Yes._"

"And you can see me."

"_Yes_."

"But I'm not here."

"_Right._"

"Then how are we talking."

"_Because this is happening now for me, and it's happening now for you. But my now and your now are not the same now._"

I triple blink and pause to let that set in. I believe Gannon may have found my stash of absinthe.

"_You don't believe me?_"

I scratch my head. "It's not that, Gannon. Well, it's more like I don't understand."

"_Ok. Well then - a demonstration should suffice. Boone, would you mind?_" Gannon waves Boone to walk over to me, and he obliges.

Boone stands facing me and says, "Hit me."

"I'm not going to hit you!"

"_Go on - just hit him. It's ok._" Gannon smirks as he takes a sip from his coffee again. "_Besides, you can't hurt him. Everybody here knows you like him - just hit him. I imagine this same exact thing is going to happen on your honeymoon._"

My mouth hit the floor. I know he did not just say that. How did he know that, that...I...uh? Am I that obvious? My face becomes flustered as I yell, "Honeymoon? How about I hit you instead, you son of a bitch!" Way to hide the truth there, with emotional out bursts which only corroborate what he was saying. Damn, wish I'd think before I talked sometimes.

Gannon chuckles, "_Oh no, I would pay good caps to watch this. The sniper versus the courier, go on - show him who's the boss!"_

I'm flustered, embarrassed, humiliated, and definitely have not imbibed enough to even deal with Gannon today. And now I'm too embarrassed to even look in Boone's direction much less make eye contact with him. Feeling slightly defeated, I swing a slow punch at him. My hand goes straight through his shoulder, like he was a projection or a ghost. I pull my hand back and stare at it. "What the hell! My hand just went through him!"

"_Oh how I love a good demo. As you can see, our now is different from your now. You can't touch Boone because in your time, he's not there_." Boone, seemingly unaffected by Gannon's earlier statements, reaches forward and briefly puts his hand on my shoulder. It doesn't slip through.

"Boone's not in my time, so my hand goes through him. But somehow I'm in Boone's time, and so he can touch me. This doesn't make any sense..."

_"W__e're letting you in our time, our now. That is why you see this room - because we're letting you see it_."

I'm so lost at this point. "So I could let you come to mine then? My now or whatever?"

"No. It doesn't work that way." says Boone.

I'm more confused then ever. "Why not?"

Gannon chimes in, "_Hmmm...'letting' is probably the wrong word. Making - yes. We're making you see this_."

"How can you make me see this then? And why would you want to?"

Boone's expression turns more somber than normal. Even Gannon's liveliness seemed to fade with the question. Gannon sets his coffee down. " _It's a long story - for now, you just need to know that we can bring you here. As for why - well__...w__e brought you here because it's friendly, familiar...to comfort your mind._"

I look at the coffee cup, then look back to where Gannon was standing but he's now gone.

"Comfort my...wait, - Where did he go? He was just there!"

"He was only here to explain. Now he's done."

"Why didn't you disappear? Why does my mind need to be comforted - did something happen? Boone, I don't understand what's going on - have I've gone crazy and nobody is telling me?"

"We don't have time. Remember the first rule about 1st Recon - we're the last thing you'll never see. You need to remember that. You're not crazy, but...you are lost. I'm trying to find you - I can't find you unless you help me."

"Lost? What do I need to do?"

"You'll know when the time comes." Damn it, more riddles. To my surprise, Boone reaches out and lifts his hand close to my face, then stops. He slides the back of his fingers down the side of my cheek. I try not to blush, but...

"You have to go back now... Remember what I said - the last thing you'll never see. I'll find you, I promise." Before I can say or do anything, Boone and the Lucky 38 fade completely away. I'm standing alone in the middle of the Mojave wastes now. Mountains are at my back, but there is nothing around for miles. A bit of grass here and there, but nothing else worth noting.

Suddenly I hear an angry muffled growl. I look to my left and an angry red brahmin appears, and then another and another. Soon I am surrounded by what looks like hundreds of them. They start circling me, like they will charge me at any moment. I reach for my rifle, but it's not there. I have no weapons. I'm panicked even more now. I look for escape but there is none. I look down and notice something scribbled on the ground: _Where are you?_ One of the brahmin start to charge and I dash to it's left to avoid getting stomped. I turn and another starts to charge - this one is way to close. I tense my body in preparation of impact, and I yell as loud as I can, knowing this won't end well at all. Seconds before it makes contact, I hear a sharp crack of a rifle in the distance. Suddenly, the brahmin falls before my feet and vanishes. I look around and all the brahmin have completely disappeared. Again, only I remain.

My relief quickly subsides as I realize there is a slight burning sensation on forehead where I have the scar Benny left me. An intense pain quickly sets in my head and I collapse to my knees. What feels like a warm liquid is running down my face now. I want to touch it, to see if this is blood but my body is limp and I can't move. Lightheadedness sets in quickly. The world is spinning out of control now and I fall face forward into the red Mojave dirt. Before I lose consciousness, someone rolls me over. Everything is so dark and fuzzy, I can tell someone is kneeling over me but not who. The person lifts me toward them so I'm in a more reclining position, cradling my head in what feels like their forearm. The light brown and crimson colored blob is bigger now but everything is quickly fading to black. The blob starts speaking in what I think is Boone's voice: "I need to find you, but I can't do that without your help. I need you to wake up for me. Wake up! WAKE UP NOW!"

* * *

**Unknown time**

I slowly open my eyes. The light is blinding, and everything is so blurry. I go to rub my eyes, but my hands can't reach my face. My arms are out to my side and my wrists can't move. My vision starts to clear a bit and soon I can make out the clouds and the sky. I look up and see a great white light beaming down on me from above. I feel like I'm floating. I look down and see the ground...and my feet are not on it. What is going on? Am I dead? Am I going to heaven?

Then the pain starts set in. Every part of me hurt - my arms, my torso...what is going on? My head is starting to clear. I look over at my arm...and it's still invisible and glowing. I can see a slat of wood behind it...and rope around where my wrist should be. I survey the area and I see a winding paved road...some unlit torches...and some crucified people. Fuck - I'm still at Cottonwood Cove! And I've been tied to one of their crosses...crucified. Goddammit, Boone. I woke up for this? How the hell am I getting out of this one? As the rays of the sun continued to beat down on me, I couldn't help but think that the rock was right - the sun is killing me.

* * *

**POST Author notes about the dream sequence**: I may have lost a few people with the dream - wanted to try to explain a little of what I was going for. The "time/now" thing was supposed to be "dream" logic (makes sense at the time, then later when you wake up you're like hey that makes no sense). The entire dream sequence is supposed to represent a type of mental defensive mechanism - like when bad things happen to a person and they don't remember b/c their mind shielded them from events. In this case, the courier's mind is trying to get her to wake up, but is trying to ease her back into the reality of her situation. The first part of the dream (at the Lucky 38) represented a place that was familiar and safe. The second part is a dream representation of where she currently is (middle of nowhere, alone). The brahmin (red and closest thing to a bull in the game) are supposed to represent the Legion soldiers (red flag with bull symbol), b/c her current situation she's currently trapped and surrounded. The end of the dream I was trying to mirror the courier's situation a little with what happened to Carla. The Courier being shot in the head - kind of up to interpretation if Boone in the dream did that or not. There was one shot, when the attacking brahmin fell. But the shot was in the same spot where Benny shot her. Either way, it was her mind's way of jolting her awake. The dream will carry over into the next chapter a little bit just for the whole repetitive deja vu thing I'm trying to go for. Isn't meant to be a courier-psychic thing or anything - just her subconscious communicating with her.


	4. Chapter 4: The Pact

Author's Note:

1) Got some questions about the dream sequence last chapter, so I added some notes at the bottom of chapter 3 to kinda go over what I was trying to go for. Sorry if it confused anyone!

2) Really thought this was going to be a short chapter - probably could have cut this in half but I wanted to move the story along. My interpretation of a pip-boy functions (storing small doses of certain meds and being able to administer them) might be off from others interpretation - so just giving everyone a head's up.

3) NAME CHANGE NOTICE - I just learned from the FONV wiki that the missing NCR officer from Ranger Station Charlie is actually named Stella. I had been calling her Joann - My bad! For the sake of accuracy, I corrected her name in Chapter 1 and here on in - so if anyone is trying to figure out what happened to Joann- her name is actually Stella now. Apologies for any confusion!

* * *

CHAPTER FOUR: THE PACT

* * *

_While the Key Emissary traveled the Meadowsland with a resolute purpose, she soon discovered that finding the path to that goal was not easy at times. She traveled place to place in hopes of finding any information regarding the man in the checkered tunic, but mostly found dead ends and misinformation. She soon felt that her travels were little more than random wandering at times, but her determination and focus kept her going._

_Amidst her travels, she stumbled upon a small town with a giant dragon standing frozen by the main gate. "That is not usual," she thought as she gazed upon it. Something so unnatural usually meant a powerful wizard of sorts lived nearby, so she kept her wits about her. She made her way through town, and found the townsfolk friendly but not so helpful. She'd ask for information regarding the man in the checkered tunic, but the townsfolk were way more interested in talking about the dragon. No one knew exactly how it got there, but t__he dragon was their town's call to fame.__ The townsfolk had built a stairwell that led all the way up inside the body of it, and a person could actually stand within the dragon's opened mouth and survey the land for many miles around. After much prodding, the Key emissary decided it could not hurt to take a small diversion from her task, and decided she would check it out._

_That night, she walked up the dragon stairs and opened the door leading to it's head. To her surprise one of the town's guardians, a soulstealer, was standing there. Visitors normally did not stop by the dragon at night, so her abrupt entrance startled him. The man responded angrily, demanding to know why she was there. She explained she was just looking around and apologized for her intrusion, not wanting any unnecessary trouble. The man suggested that she leave but then noticed the enchanted gauntlet she wore on her left arm. She definitely was not from around there - and that put him a little at ease as he had grown to distrust the townsfolk in the passing days. He asked her to stay, and found himself doing something he never thought he'd do. He asked the stranger for help. He explained how his wife had been taken by Imperator's soldiers, how all the townsfolk were behaving unusual around him, and that he needed someone he could trust to help him find the person in town responsible for her disappearance. The Key Emissary listened intently and found herself torn over the request. She had not come there to help others - her goals were self serving. But even so - she felt a strange connection with him. Maybe because his old life with his wife was taken from him, as the man in the checkered tunic took her old life away from her. His goal was the same as hers - revenge. How could she expect others to help her if she wasn't willing to help someone with a similar problem? Thus she agreed to help, and that night the soulstealer and the key emissary made a pact. She would deliver the guilty party to the front of the dragon and signal him by putting on his crimson cap. He would take care of the rest._

_The next morning the Key emissary made her way through town, asking the townspeople she met the day before about the soulstealer's wife. Everyone seemed to have the same story - they described the wife as beautiful but generally disliked and no one seemed to know anything about her disappearance other than she was gone. The Key emissary then spoke with the local innkeeper, which was the witch under a spell of disguise. The witch was delighted to speak of the wife, explaining how she was like a flower blossom with thorns, and no one liked her. "His wife wasn't happy living here. She wanted to live in the City of Lights. I am sure she left her husband and went there," said the witch. The key emissary found that that information oddly specific, considering his wife had no friends and barely spoke with anyone. That was not common knowledge as no one else made mention of it. She decided to investigate the innkeeper further, but now was not the right time. She thanked the innkeeper for her time and left._

_Later that evening, the key emissary entered the home of the innkeeper. She looked through everything, trying to find anything that might provide information about the disappearance of the soulstealer's wife. She checked every drawer and cupboard, but found nothing. She continued searching through bottles, pots, books, anything that might conceal a hidden item denoting her guilt. She had nearly given up when her enchanted gauntlet started to glow by the innkeeper's fireplace. She moved the rug at it's hearth and found a secret compartment in the floor. She pulled back the small door, and found a scroll inside. She quickly opened it, but it appeared to be blank. She flipped the scroll over to see if there was writing on the back, but what she saw was astonishing - a thousand dots of light projecting from the scroll onto the floor. "I knew there was a magic user in town!" she thought to herself. She had heard of rumors of spells like this - you could not read the scroll by holding the writing side to the light, the light had to be behind the scroll to read it. She flipped the scroll back over and held it close to the light of the fireplace. The random dots she saw before had now changed to form words. As she read, all things were made clear - the innkeeper had indeed summoned those soldiers to take the woman away. She's the one who did it!_

_She pocketed the scroll, and approached the innkeeper's room, knocking loudly on the door. "MISS! Something urgent has happened! You must come immediately," the key emissary shouted. The witch was startled awake by her yelling. She sleepily answered the door, reluctantly agreeing to follow because the strange woman solely on the fact that this was a dire emergency. The Key Emissary quickly guided her through the winding town until they were both standing directly in front of the dragon. The witch rubbed her eyes and scanned the area. "What was the problem again? I don't see anything wrong out here," she yawned. The Key Emissary remained silent as she took a step back and placed the cap on her head. The witch instantly recognized that it belonged to the soulstealer, the husband of the woman she hated the most - but it was too late for her to figure out the next part to come. An arrow sliced through the night sky, penetrating deep into the head of the witch. The witch let out a horrible cry as a bright blue light ripped her body apart. The key emissary watched as the same blue light traveled upward, surrounding the soulstealer and then vanishing into his chest. The key emissary looked down to see the remains of the witch lying on the ground. At last, it was done. "Hopefully, the soulstealer would gain some peace from this," she thought.  
_

_She returned to the head of the dragon to meet the soulstealer, showing him the scroll that detailed the witch's evil deed. Even with a face of stone, the Key emissary could see the sadness in his eyes as he read it and the glimmer of satisfaction that his wife had finally been avenged. But she could also tell the soulstealer was now lost - without direction or purpose. "Maybe we're too much of a kindred spirit," she thought. She had helped him find direction even if it was momentary - maybe he could help her find hers. So the Key Emissary found herself asking the soulstealer something she never thought she'd ask - for him to join her in her travels. The soulstealer was surprised and declined at first. Then he reflected on his current situation and knew that no matter how long he stayed in the small town of the dragon, it would never bring back the life he had with his wife. Not knowing what he should do now, he only knew he did not want to stay there another night and agreed to join her. The Key emissary and the Soulstealer left the small town of the dragon, and so their journey together into Meadowsland began._

* * *

**Night time, Cottonwood Cove**

The PHOENIX Monocyte Breeder implant is designed to keep your ass alive, and slowly restore your health over a period of time. Right now, this is a good and a bad thing. Good in that it's keeping me alive while I'm crucified out here. Bad in that it's keeping me alive while I'm crucified out here. If I don't figure how to get out of this, I'm going to have a very long drawn out death. Overall my body feels beaten, my head is killing me, and my arms keep going numb and the implant keeps returning feeling to them. Besides mild dehydration I'm doing well considering, but a few days of this...I can't say. That is a road I really don't want to travel down.

It's night time now. I'm still invisible and glowing - stealth-boy should have worn off a long time ago. It must be feeding off my pip-boy's power supply some how. Dozens of legionaries have stopped by to take a look at me, and from their comments it's pretty clear they don't know who I am. I was put up here for decoration, overhearing a few calling me captivus stella, the Captured Star of Cottonwood Cove. Ironic that I'm here trying to find a captured NCR officer named Stella. I'm sure I'll find humor in all of this much later...if I live through it.

The hours pass by and eventually the number of visiting legion soldiers completely dwindles. If I am getting out of here, now is the time to act. The one thing that I have going for me is that I was crucified fully clothed. Not always, but typically the Legion tie people up on their crosses with no clothing covering their arms and legs. My pip-boy has a stealth-boy attached to it - maybe if I can get the two separated I can make enough room to get that arm free. I press my pip-boy wrist against the wooden board it's tied to and I start to twist back and forth, trying to pop the two apart. The rope rubs against my pip-boy - bare skin would be rubbed bare by now so another good reason I have it on. I keep twisting and very briefly the invisible glowing field vanishes then reappears. Good, I'm making progress. I keep twisting - I can feel the two are starting to separate. Again the field goes out and the two are almost completely severed... and I hear a gasp. I look down and see a Legion soldier staring at me. Oh no, this is NOT good! His expression of surprise quickly turns to anger. He pulls out a blade and yells "It's you!" The invisible glowing field kicks back on, but it doesn't matter. The solider runs up to stab me and I yell "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!' Mere steps before he reaches me, I hear the faint crack of a distant rifle, and the Legionary collapses to the ground. Blood is pouring from his head, and soon he stops breathing. I look around but I don't see who made the shot. Was it...him? It couldn't be...he wouldn't have followed me out here...

Would he?

A group of legion guards run up and sees the dead soldier on the ground. One points off to the distance, and they all take off together. Guess they're going after the sniper - I just hope it's not Boone... Please don't be Boone.

I focus back on escaping - I can't do anything about that until I get out of here. I twist with all my strength and finally the two are completely severed and the invisible glowing field drops for the last time. I shake my wrist frantically, working the stealth-boy out from under the ropes until it drops to the ground. Finally, enough room to pull my left hand free!

I undo the buttons on my shirt using my free hand, and manage to wiggle my pip-boy arm out of it's sleeve. It will be easier to free my right arm now if my shirt is only half on - more room to move. I try to pull my right arm through my other sleeve, to free that arm from the ropes on that side. I twist and pull but it's no use - the ropes are too tight. This is the point where I realize I probably should have tried to free this arm first - would have had a better chance of getting out of here without the Legion knowing it was me. Too late for that now. I reach into my pocket in hopes I have a a knife, anything that might help cut the ropes, to free my right arm. I find...paper. The legion patrol notes. I had forgotten about that...I can feel the ledger and attack plans are still in the back of my pants where I hid them, the dog tags in my right pants pocket. If I get out of this, I have to make sure I don't accidentally leave any of this behind.

I move onto the next idea - I try to untie the ropes on my right wrist with my free hand but it's no use...the knot is on the back of the cross beam where I can't reach. I pull on the ropes and it feels like that may have helped. That probably tightened the knot, making the ropes slightly looser. I feel like I have a bit more moving room for my right hand now. I try to pull my hand free again, this time leaning my whole body to the left. I twist and pull, and my hand is starting to hurt and burn. But I feel it's starting to work, my hand and wrist are further under the ropes now. Operating my pip-boy with my mouth, I have it administer a hit of med-x for the pain, and I start pulling my right hand through the ropes again - this time for keeps. The pain of the rope burns on my hand are incredible, but I twist and pull with everything I have - and finally my right hand pulls through my sleeve under the ropes and is free. I hold onto the cross beam with my left arm to keep from falling completely forward. My right hand is red, burning, and bleeding. No time to look at that now...I have to keep going.

The hard part is over with, now for the easy part - the ropes are wrapped around my boots. Holding onto the crossbeam with both arms now, I pull myself up enough to wiggle my right foot out of my boot and then the left. I let go of the cross beam and fall to the ground. My legs are rubbery, and takes a few moments before I can stand back up - but finally, I am free!

I put my shirt and boots back on, and I cautiously scale down the rock side. I make my way to the hollowed out rock, grab my gear bag, and start heading back in the direction of the Lucky 38. On the way there, I look for the group of legion soldiers and the rifleman who helped me, but I see no one. I hope they never found that guy.

I hope Boone's at the Lucky 38.

* * *

**10 am, Lucky 38**

I arrived here an hour ago. I searched the rooms of the presidential suite, and Boone is not here. I try not to panic - there are a million reasons why he wouldn't be here especially with the Lucky 38 being on the strip - too many things to do here. Too many things I told him to go do and enjoy. I'm probably over reacting, he's probably fine. Probably wasn't him that took the shot, right?.

I take a quick bath, put on a new set of clothes, and bandage up my hand. I'm sitting on my bed checking out my gear when I hear the elevator doors open. I pull my pistol from my pocket holster and scramble to the door, crouching down I sneak a look. I breathe out a sigh of relief when I see that it's him. He's covered in sweat and a thick layer of Mojave dust. His back is facing me, but he looks like he frantically looking around, walking quickly to the doors opposite me and glancing inside. I say, "Boone" to get his attention and he quickly turns my way. We stare at each other for a second. He looks tired, and very briefly relieved as he exhales a long drawn in breath. The expression quickly fades as his face returns to it's normal straightened features and says, "_Good, you made it back_." He glances at my bandaged hand, and sets his gear down. He walks into the kitchen, as I holster my weapon and return to sitting on my bed. He walks into the room with a couple bottles of water, and takes a seat at the nearby desk. He starts breaking down his rifle and cleaning it.

_"So what went wrong." _he asked while taking a drink from one of the bottles._ " Or was getting crucified part of your plan_?" Ouch. OK, I guess that confirms he's the one who shot that legionary.

"No...that definitely was *not* part of the plan,"I say as I lay out the items I took from the camp across my bed. "I was there to see what information I could find - was supposed to be in and out real quick. Everything was good until some legionaries walked in and my stealth-boy malfunctioned."

"_Stealth-boy malfunction? Never heard of that happening, unless.._." He looks up at me, "_You didn't use the one you spilled whiskey on back at the Prospector Saloon, did you?_"

Damn.

"No, no - I wouldn't have used that.*cough*"

"_But you forgot and used it._"

"Um,...yeah, probably."

Boone smirked and shook his head, then went back to cleaning his rifle. "I_ didn't know that was you up there. Would have helped sooner if I did. Thought it was odd how they kept checking it out. I just thought someone strung up some lights. Caught my attention when it started flickering though. Couldn't believe it when I saw that was you up there_."

I close my gear bag and set it to the side. "Yeah, thought my luck had run out when that solider saw me. Lucky you were there to take the shot. Speaking of which - why were you out there?"

_"Figured you'd change your mind about finding_ _Stella. __Tagged behind in case something went wrong. This would have ended very differently if I hadn't."_

I nod my head and say "Very different indeed...couldn't help but notice a group of Legionaries ran off in your direction after they found the guy you shot. "

He looks at me for a second then returns his attention to his reassembling his rifle. _"I saw them coming. Tracked them for a bit but they never found me." _He finishes off one of the water bottles, then says _"I hung around long enough to make sure you got out safe. That was pretty impressive getting out of those ropes like you did - a lot of people would have given up. Wouldn't have even tried to escape."_

"I just got lucky is all." I pause and make sure we're making eye contact when I say, "Lucky that a friend tagged along and helped me out. Boone, I want you to know that I didn't intend on cutting you out of the loop. All of this was a rash decision, not something I plan on making a habit of. I just didn't want you to put your life on the line for something you didn't agree with. Wasn't sure I was actually going to be doing anything at all to be honest - it just kind of happened. But I do thank you for following me and keeping my ass alive. "

"_This one was a little too close, even for us_" he says while exhaling loudly. We're still looking eye to eye as he pauses, looking hesitant about what he's about to say. "_I want you to know that I almost left you there._"

"Left me? What do you mean?"

"_The last time I saw your position, you were at that overlook. Then...there was nothing for hours. When night fell, I kept thinking you left and I just didn't see you, that I missed you somehow. I had packed up and was walking back to the Lucky 38 when I decided to take one last look ...saw the flickering_. _If I hadn't..._" I hear the feeling of guilt in his voice as he tells me this. I feel a cold chill race across my body - just like the day I woke up at Doc Mitchell's and learned I was shot in the head, and by all rights should have been dead. Wasn't fair for me to put Boone through this. I smile and say, "Would have been my own fault either way. Just Lady Luck on our side once again, right?"

He nods, as he wipe dust off the disassembled rifle parts.

"_Did you find what you're looking for?_"

"Not sure yet. Still going through everything. Found some patrol notes, a ledger, ... a collection of NCR dog tags. I did find what I think are some NCR attack plans, figured I'd drop those off at McCarran. The dog tags too. "

"_I wouldn't mind checking out some of that when you're done._"

"Yeah, sure. No problem."

I set the plans aside and start flipping through the slave ledger. It contains lists of names with locations, skills...and prices. With every name I read, I feel myself hating the Legion a little bit more. How can they do this to people? I force myself to keep reading, I see pages and pages of slave auction listings and then a section called 'Arena.' The arena listings are different from the slave listings - no names at all, but just vague descriptions. 'Two males taken 2 klicks southeast of Nelson on this day' kind of thing. As I skim the page, I recognize some of the locations as NCR outposts. These must be NCR prisoner listings - Boone said they only care about killing NCR so they probably didn't care about their names. I skip towards the end of the section with the newer dates and find a description of a female taken from Ranger Station Charlie. That has got to be Stella.

"Boone, have you ever heard of the Legion having an arena?"

"_The arena is at the Fort. It's used for gladiator fights - two people fight with machetes until one dies. Legion soldiers will fight slaves to gain respect. Or they'll make two slaves fight just for show," _he says as he finishes reassembling his rifle.

"Are there any other Legion arenas then?"

"_No - there is only the one at the Fort._"

I feel like I've been punched in the stomach. Almost get myself killed to find out she's at the one place I can't go - the Fort, the heart of the Legion. The home of Caesar. She could be alive, but under those conditions - looks more and more like she's not.

"Stella was taken for the arena. Doesn't sound like she has much of a chance of being alive. And even if she were - there is no way I can sneak into the Fort and get her out. No way in hell. "

Boone is giving me the hard stare again. "_What now?_"

I feel all the hope I had for finding Stella alive has finally slipped away. "Now...now is the part where you tell me you told me so, and I tell her mother that she's dead."

Boone stands up and says "_If it matters, I was hoping that I was wrong about Stella being dead. I'm sorry you didn't find better news._"

I nod at him as he grabs up his rifle and empty bottles, and walks out of the room. I hear a door shut in the background, and the faint sound of running water. I lay down on my bed and spend several minutes reading and rereading Stella's entry in the ledger, like that will somehow change things. After a while, I put down the ledger and start reading though the dog tags, and after about 20 or so I find one that has Stella's name on it. I feel uneasy holding it - am I doing the right thing? Technically, I can get into the Fort - but not with Boone. If I went, there would be no guarantees that I could get her out if she was even still alive. No, she has to be dead. She wouldn't have made it in there that long. I slip Stella's dog tag in my gearbag so I can at least give that to her mother when I deliver the bad news.

I walk into the kitchen, grab a shot glass and a bottle of whiskey. I pour a shot, raise it to my lips, then stop. I look at it for several seconds, then set the full shot glass back on the counter and close the whiskey bottle. "Probably a bad idea - been making too many mistakes lately," I say quietly to myself as I empty the shot glass in the sink and put the whiskey bottle back.

"_No shame in that._" I glance over and see Boone standing in the doorway. No more Mojave dust - must have taken a bath. He's wearing his white t-shirt and tan pants now, not the NCR desert BDUs he returned in. I'm slightly startled - I didn't notice he was watching. "Yeah, I suppose so." I walk up to the doorway, but before I slide by he asks "_Are you alright?_" I stop right in front of him, sharing the doorway space with him. We're never this close...unless we're getting shot at and we're sharing cover. I exhale a little, open my mouth but no words comes out. After a second or two of not being able to say anything, he steps closer and puts his hand on my shoulder. I look at him eye to eye, and smile. "I think I just need to sleep it off. Just get some rest." He nods, squeezing my shoulder a little before returning his hand to his side.

Before either of us has time to walk away I say, "Oh yeah, there was something I wanted to give you." I reach deep into my pocket. The second Boone turns his head to look down at my pocket, I lean in and give him a kiss on his cheek. "Thanks again." He turns to face me. I thought he'd looked surprised - and maybe he was a little. The awkward moment of us looking at each other abruptly ends with the sound of a chime and the elevator door opening.

I don't get visitors here.


	5. Chapter 5: The Ties that bind

Author's Notes: I have been trying to write these chapters in two parts: fairytale for the background parts of the story that everyone knows from playing the game (just to give it a different perspective), and a first person narrative by the courier for all things currently happening. I went away from that this chapter, going fairy tale from where things left off last chapter because it seemed to be more interesting. Also have Gannon in this one - another apologies to the Arcade fans if his dialog doesn't sound right (using him for the comic relief). Still trying to go for the whole catty friend/tormentor relationship between him and the courier.

Quick reference: Star = Stella (missing NCR), binding spell = accepting pip-boy quests (kind of went off on a magical tangent with that one). Hope everyone enjoys!

* * *

CHAPTER 5 - The Ties that bind

* * *

_Within the Ivory Tower in the City of Lights, the door to the Key Emissary's chamber began to open. The tower was inhabited only by the Autocrat and his faithful guards - there were no such thing as visitors. Anticipating the worst, the Soulstealer drew his blade, and pushed the Key Emissary behind him. He cautiously looked around the corner to find the knight that saved the Key Emissary's life standing at the door. "The Autocrat requests an immediate audience with milady," spoke the knight. Relieved that it was only the knight and not an immediate threat, the Key Emissary reluctantly followed. She was the Autocrat's emissary after all, and under no conditions to refuse a king's request. She assured the Soulstealer she would return as soon as possible and took her leave._

_As the doors to the chamber closed behind them, the Soulstealer walked to the back where the living quarters were located. Upon the Key emissary's bed, he saw the items she had taken from the Imperator's slaver camp. "How quickly I had forgotten about these when in her company," he partially smiled to himself. He picked up the leather journal and began to read the list of Militant's that had been taken. He read the description for Star, the woman the Key Emissary had risked her life to help. "She wanted so desperately to help you, Star. Forgive her for not reaching you in time," he said to himself, hoping Star could hear him somehow. He began flipping through to the other sections of the ledger. "So many names of people taken, " he thought to himself. Then he paused. "Could... she be listed in here?" He closed the book immediately. No, the memory of what happened to his wife was too painful to revisit like this. He could not bring himself to open the book and search for her name. If she was in there, did he really want to relive this memory again?_

_He paced within the room, dwelling upon the idea for some time before making his decision. If her name was inscribed in this tome, he had to know. Maybe seeing the words would help him heal - give him closure. He reopened the journal and started skimming the sea of names. He went over them one by one until he found his wife's name hand printed upon one of the pages. He stared at it for several minutes, his face no longer stone but heart broken and sad. He forced his eyes to move across the description beside her name._

_"Breeder - delivered to Imperator's castle." The Soulstealer, in disbelief, re-read the entry. No, the words were supposed to be "deceased," not this. His wife was alive!_

_He quickly scanned the page and found the name of another woman who had deceased written by her name. She was with child. She fell by a Soulstealer's arrow that same night, that same location. The journal fell from his fingers and he collapsed to his knees. His heart raced in his chest and he could barely draw breathe. "No! I would not have made a mistake like this - it was her! I know it was her!" he yelled. He knew he shot his wife that night - but why would the ledger say something different? A clerical error? Perhaps they documented the wrong woman who died that night? No - this enemy was known for being meticulous about their slaves - they would not have made such an error. Was this mistake on his part then? __Did he really kill the wrong woman? __He had sown the seeds of doubt in his heart now. Tears slid down his face. How had he failed his wife and child so miserably?_

_Consumed with fear of what he had allowed to happen to them, he could not forgive himself for allowing them to suffer needlessly. His fears faded and the tears stopped, his face returned to stone and a growing rage began to engulf him. All the days that had past since that night, all the evils that befell his wife and child at the hands of the Imperator - and he did nothing. They must be made to pay. As he he stood to his feet, the rage grew within him until it finally consumed his mind._

* * *

_As she walked through the Ivory Tower's corridors on her way back to her chambers, the Key Emissary noticed that her gauntlet had a faint pulsating glow to it. She paid little attention to it, assuming it was related to the king's meeting. She goes over the conversation she had moments earlier with the Autocrat in regards to the man in the checkered tunic. He alluded her several days earlier - she felt a fool for taking the man at his word. The Autocrat was displeased, but provided some good news - his knights had spotted him outside the city gates and were on their way to apprehend him. So all was not lost. He would call for her again once he had been taken into custody. She was eager to extract her revenge on the man, but it was not in her heart at the moment. Her thoughts were dominated by events that occurred only hours before - the day she spent in the Imperator's trap. She was lucky to be free - lucky the Soulstealer came to her aid. It was a harsh lesson - meddling within an Imperator camp alone. And all for nothing - she was no closer to knowing if the Militant's Star was still alive. In fact, she felt very dead to her now. But she would dwell on this later._

_She approached the doors to the chambers. She was hesitant to go inside. The moment she had with the Soulstealer minutes before the king called her - what was that? Was there something there? Did he feel the same way that she felt about him? In her heart it did not matter - regardless of his feelings, above all she appreciated his friendship. "Whatever happens, happens" she thought. And with a deep breathe, opened the chamber doors._

_To her dismay, she found the chambers in disarray. A cabinet had been smashed, broken items laying on the floor. "An ambush!" she thought. She quickly ran through the rooms, yelling the Soulstealer's name. She finally finds him in one of the wardrobe rooms, unharmed, but in the process of putting on armor over his tunic. "What happened here! What is going on?" she asked frantically, worried something horrible befell him. But the Soulstealer would not respond. He doesn't even acknowledge her standing there, focused solely on putting his armor on. She glimpses his face. It had softened slightly before she left - but now was rigid stone yet again. She sees his eyes are filled with rage, and realizes he must be the one responsible for the damages. "What could have happened in such a short time in her absence?" she thought. The Key Emissary, knowing she has little time, desperately starts checking the chambers rooms, looking for any signs of possible enchantment or anything to explain his current behavior. She runs to the living quarters and sees the Imperator slave ledger lying on the floor - it had been on her bed earlier. She picks it up quickly and begins to read - she sees the name of the Soulstealer's wife. She sees that the tome says she is alive. She became engulfed in disbelief - this could not be happening._

_She glances at the doorway and sees the Soulstealer walking toward the exit fully armored now and bow in hand. She rushes to him. "Wait! What are you planning?"_

_"This matter doesn't concern you." he says without even looking her way._

_"I saw what was written in the tome. Are you going to the Imperator's castle alone then? How do you plan on getting her out by yourself?"_

_"I do not know the details yet. I only know that I have to try."_

_"You may be a Soulstealer, but even you can not take on an army alone! Let me help, we can find a way..."_

_"There is no time!"_

_"Time is not the enemy here! You are consumed by your anger...by guilt. You are reacting, not thinking things through! If you rush in head strong with no plan of attack, you will surely die!"_

_He stops and stares at her - and she sees in his eyes that he already knows this. He knows he is walking to his death. She steps toward him, "I implore you - don't throw your life away like this! You will not help your wife by getting yourself killed in your haste. Please, let me help..." The Key Emissary stops speaking when she notices that the gauntlet is glowing brightly and pulsating stronger than before...it didn't do this until she got close to the Soulstealer. "It glows ... for you. I thought it finally found my path to the tunic man, but it's path is for you." she says as she steps back, staring at the gauntlet. "It must has the path to save your wife."_

_He stares at her gauntlet, the rage subsiding a bit. "Tell me the path, but don't do the binding spell. I can't let you get involved. It's not your fight."_

_"For reasons I do not fully understand, it appears that I'm already bound. " she says as she takes a step toward him. "Back in the dragon town, you asked for my assistance. This would have been trivial to anyone else, but as you now know my gauntlet binds me to tasks. But it only glows *after* the binding - never before. The gauntlet glows now because for some reason it feels our original pact has not been fully met. Perhaps I miscast the binding spell. All I know is that if you rush out ill-tempered and die this day - this task will still fall to me. Once the gauntlet provides a path, I must follow it. It will not relent, forever guiding me back to it's laid path until I have walked it or until I have died. If I chose to ignore it, it will drive me to madness." The eyes of the Key Emissary glowed as she spoke the gauntlet's activation spell - " Gauntlet - my word is my bond, my bond is my life. Grant me your wisdom, your guidance, your power - show me the path I must take to save the Soulstealer's wife and child." The light fell from her eyes as the light of the gauntlet grew brighter. She gazed upon it, absorbing it's knowledge. Soon the connection broke, the light of the gauntlet faded and her expression turned grim._

_Speaking more to herself, she says "Of course. That would be the only way." She reaches into one of the folds of her robe and pulls out a glowing gold coin. It floats above her hand, spinning slightly. "This is the seal of the Imperator. It was given to me only a few days ago - the day the man in the checkered tunic eluded me. The Imperator sent this because he wants to speak to me - it erases all past aggressions, absolves me of all sins committed against his men, and most importantly - it gives me free access to his kingdom. We are to go to the old fort outside the castle gates. There we will find the wizard Gannon - he will accompany me to the Imperator's kingdom. I will speak with the Imperator, see what he wants from me. What ever that task may be, the price will be the release of your wife and your child. I will also inquire into the captured Star - see if I can get her out as well. I am positive this will be her only chance at freedom if she still breathes. You will stay at the fort until we return. This is the gauntlet's path."_

_The Soulstealer's anger slowly dissipates as he succumbs to the Key Emissary's reasoning. "That is the path? I can not sit idly by while you go..."_

_"You must. If you come with me, you will surely die. You are an ex-Militant solider. The Imperator's will attack you on site - with the seal or not. Understand you are needed at the fort. The wizards there are healers living in humble conditions. The flock they shelter are injured and meek. They will need a protector in Gannon's absence. The gauntlet says *you* are that protector. Gannon must journey with me - he is of the same cloth as the Imperator king, from the same brotherhood of men. He speaks the language of old, and understands the ways of the Imperator King, knows how he thinks. The gauntlet says I must seek his council - or this endeavor will fail. I sense great peril if we do not heed it's advice."_

_"Do not forget you were recently being held captive at that Imperator Slave camp - surely they are looking for you. That seal will not protect you now."_

_The Key Emissary shakes her head. "No - they did not know it was me. I'm sure of it. The corrupted stealth amulet guaranteed that. The gauntlet would not have even suggested this path unless it would work."  
_

_The Soulstealer looks away, letting his mind digest her words. He is not happy with this plan, but he relents to let the Key Emissary try. He looks back to her and asks, "Is it ever wrong?"_

_"No," she says, her face still grim. "We should get going."_

_The Key Emissary collects her things from the living quarters and they exit the chambers together. No words were exchanged between the two as they walked along the walls of the castle towards the fort. That was fine for the Key Emissary as she needed time to think. She kept going over in her mind what was going on with her enchanted gauntlet. She did not fully understand it's magic at times. She reflected on the night she met the Soulstealer, agreeing to help him. She knew she made no mistake in the spells wording. She agreed to help the Soulstealer find the person in town responsible for his wife's abduction. "Maybe the words don't matter - maybe the gauntlet cares more about what is in the caster's heart." she thought to herself. In her heart that night, she wanted to help herself...and to help him. "Does this make me forever bound to him then?" she asked herself. She was warned about casting binding spells that were too general in scope, leaving her in a life debt to someone. She shook her head, thinking to herself "And would that really be so bad if I did?"_

_The Key Emissary and the Soulstealer reach the castle's outer walls and make their way through the gates of the Fort. The Key Emissary retrieves the wizard, who quickly transfers to the Soulstealer the title of Guardian during his intended absence. "All is in place - now is the time for myself and the wizard to do our part. We will be back in a few days," the Key Emissary says to the Soulstealer. As she turns her back to him and steps away, the Soulstealer grabs her by her shoulder and says "Be careful, emissary. Do not let your guard down while you are in the Imperator's keep - they can not be trusted." With her back still to him, she closes her eyes and places her hand upon his, "I will heed your warning, Soulstealer. I give you my word that I will not leave without her. King or not - I will not take no for an answer. " As she and the wizard make their way through the fort's gates, she hears some of the fort's inhabitants shouting "Good Journey!"_

_The Key Emissary thinks to herself, "I have a feeling it won't be."_

* * *

**1 pm, Mojave Wastes**

_"You're planning on selling me the second we get into Fortification Hill, aren't you?"_ says Gannon as we make our way across the Mojave and back to Cottonwood Cove. I am exhausted and not thrilled to be returning so soon to that place.

I smirk and say, "I would not sell you, Gannon, as no one would pay for you."

"_Hmmph,"_ he says while walking along my side. _ " So why have you decided to take me along on your little holiday excursion to the center of Legion hell again?"_

"Well...lots of reason. To name a few - you speak Latin, the Legion speaks Latin. You and Caesar both have ties to the Follower's of the Apocalypse. Thought you were the best qualified man for job."

Gannon laughs as he takes a sip from his canteen._"Riiiiiight. Has absolutely nothing to do with your NCR boytoy possibly getting killed if he went."_

I look over at Gannon and scowl. He returns a smug grin. This is going to be the longest trip of my life.

Apparently not content that I've reached my irritation threshold, Gannon continues, "_So let me make sure I have all my facts straight for this one. You like him, you think he likes you, and we're going to the Fort to save his wife and child that he thought were dead. Soooo - how exactly does this work out for you again? I mean, you guys plan on starting a commune or something when you get back? One big happy family?"_

"No. I guess it doesn't work out for me. It'll just be them together."

He looks at me with a raised brow, _"And you're ok with all of this?"_

I exhale a loud sigh. "It's not about me. Look, I don't want to think about this right now. Can you please change the subject?"

_"Ok, ok,"_ he says, raising his hands like he's play surrendering.

We continue walking towards the ridge line of the Cove. Things are nice and quiet for a few minutes before Gannon starts in again. _"I have to ask though - how exactly does a person get mixed up over their wife being dead?"_

I exhale another sigh. "She was taken by Legion Slavers. He couldn't get her out, so he shot her. Well, he shot the wrong person."

Gannon grabs my arm and stops walking. _"Wait - did you say he SHOT her? And you LIKE this guy? Wait - let me guess. You think he likes you because he SHOT at you, right? Wow - and I thought *I* was king of crazy relationships! I have nothing on you..."_

I pull my arm free from Gannon's grasp. "No! he didn't shoot at me...look, it's just complicated. Can you drop it already and leave it at that? I knew I shouldn't have told you anything..."

"_Alright, alright - I'll change the topic." _We continue traveling and finally reach the main road to the cove. As we start walking down the long winding descent, Gannon asks with a sneering grin, _" __So ...do snipers really kiss as good as they say?"_

"I hate you, Gannon."

He chuckles as we make our way down the winding road to Cottonwood Cove. I flinch at the site of the crucifix I was tied to a day earlier. I make a fist with my right hand. It's still bandaged and healing. "What the hell am I doing," I think to myself. We continue along the road until I spot some Legion guards a few yards directly in front of us.

"Eyes on, Gannon. It's all business until we leave, so watch what you say."

_"You better not sell me."_

"Would you stop with the selling nonsense already? I said wouldn't sell you!"

_"Pinky swear?"_

"Shut up, Gannon."

The guards rush to our position, and I present the Mark of Caesar. They instantly recognize it, giving us warning not to give them a reason to be on their bad side. We are escorted through Cottonwood Cove until we reach the bay. We walk down a long pier and board a small raft. As the ferryman takes us over to the Fort, I can't help but think to myself, "This is not going to end well."


	6. Chapter 6 :  Nightmares and Kings

Author's note: This chapter contains a variation of the meeting Caesar so I'm not sure if it's consider AU or not (really, I'm still a noob here). Also for reference: The Tops = Ebony Tower. The Autocrat's liege = Benny. All Fairytale this chapter - couldn't fit the Courier narrative in this round. Another dream sequence in here with notes at the very bottom (if anyone is interested). Not my best work, but wanted to get it out the door - hope someone is enjoying this! :)

* * *

CHAPTER SIX: Nightmares and Kings

* * *

_He knelt upon the ridge high above the Imperator slaver camp. Using his enchanted bow, he looks down upon the hundreds of soldiers and the group of prisoners they surround. His eyes fall upon his frightened wife. "No, not again." he says to himself as he puts down his bow and rubs his eyes, his face no longer rigid stone. "Never can I escape this place." He raises his bow again and looks back at the crowd of prisoners. He spots his wife but also another woman that looks just like her, then another. All the woman look like her. He is breathing heavy as his heart pounds in his chest. He closes his eyes and focuses his mind. He looks back at the group of prisoners, hoping to see if he can spot the aura of his wife - but his heart sinks when he sees all the women have the same bright glowing field around them. _

_A voice emanates from behind him. "What are you doing, my Love?" He lowers his bow and turns around. A glowing white apparition of his wife is floating behind him. "I'm trying to help you," he says to her as he stands to his feet to face her. "And how do you plan on doing that from up here," she asks as her form slowly begins transforming to living flesh before his eyes. "Were you planning on killing me?" He turns his head away shamefully. He can't bare to look in her eyes and answer that question. Her prodding continues, "Why would I want to die?"_

_"It was impossible to get you out. I could not let you live like that, let our child grow up in that," he answers with remorse in his voice. "It was not what I wanted to do. But I did what I must. I loved you too much to allow you to suffer needlessly."_

_Another emanation of his wife suddenly appears standing next to the first. Full of anger and hate, she screams, "You had no right! It was MY life! Not yours to take! You should have let me live!" The second emanation lunges at him - but just as quickly she freezes, having turned into a statue before she can make contact. The statue instantly begins taking on cracks and crumbles to a pile of rubble. The head of the statue slides before his feet, it's icy stare gazing up at him._

_"But you didn't kill me, and your aid never came," says the first woman. "I waited so long for you - why did you not come, my Love?"_

_"I did not come because I thought you were dead," answers the Soulstealer. The woman steps forward, brushing her hand on his cheek. "And what have you been doing all these months while I waited, my Love?"_

_"I found the one responsible for your abduction and made them pay for your betrayal. The Emissary of the Autocrat, the seeker of the key, was the one who helped me find them. I have been aiding her in her quests ever since," answer the Soulstealer. _

_"Her? You've been spending your days with another woman then. No wonder you had forgotten about me," says the first woman. She is fully flesh now, but a faint red mist is growing and spiraling around her._

_He grabs the hands of his wife and says, "You have to believe me - I thought you were gone. I would have given my life before leaving you to that fate." He pulls his wife close to him, "A day hasn't gone by where my thoughts didn't fall on you. I have never betrayed your memory. I swear, I..."_

_She interrupts him. "So you deny you have feelings for her then? This emissary?" she asks. She pauses and waits, but he does not answer. "You have never been able to lie to me, my Love. I suppose that is why you won't answer me now," she says as she pulls free from his embrace. He asks,"Wait, where are you going?" She begins stepping backward until she is fully engulfed in the red mist, and not visible. Screams come from the crimson cloud and he sees a glowing red 'x' pulsating within. He runs towards the mist, but a giant glass barrier appears. He runs full force into the glass walls, ramming it with the side of his body with all his strength but it will not break. Soon the screams stop and the red mist fades. The woman of flesh from earlier does not stand before him, but a life size marionette puppet. She is wearing rags with a red x on the chest and bares a large pack on her back. Thick golden strings are connected to her appendages which are controlling her movement and making her walk in circles. She stops occasionally to quietly say "excuse me, my Lord" before the controlling strings have her walking again. The soulless face painted on the puppet is that of his wife._

_The Soulstealer steps back, shaking his head in distress and disbelief. "No! What foul magic is this!" He looks to his right and sees the Key Emissary standing beside him now. She stares at the barrier, and says "Soulstealer, I swore I would not leave without her." Her eyes and gauntlet begin to glow and a doorway in the glass barrier reveals itself. The Key Emissary walks in and guides the puppet out, but the second the puppet crosses the barrier's threshold the strings controlling her are severed and she collapses to the ground. The Soulstealer rushes to catch her, kneeling on the ground cradling the puppet in his arms as he sadly whispers, "What has happened to you?" The puppet stares at him blankly, only repeating "excuse me, my Lord" over and over. A tear slides down his face as he looks upon the puppet of his wife, when he notices the sound of the glass barrier re-closing. He looks up and sees the Key Emissary is still standing inside the barrier. "Wait, you must get out of there!" he yells as she looks upon him and smiles. Her eyes and gauntlet still glow bright as she kneels down to be closer to him as the red mist slowly begins to engulf her as well. "It's all right, Soulstealer. I knew the price - this is the only way." _

_"No, I can't let this happen to you - this was my burden to bear, not yours," he says. She shakes her head in disagreement and says,"Both you and I know this was not a bargain you could have made." She pushes up the sleeve on her non-gauntlet arm to reveal the same type of thick golden string that controlled his wife is wrapped around the Key Emissary's wrist. " You see I have little to lose. I have always been a puppet without a puppet master - a rogue pawn who wandered into a chess match between 3 kings. In truth, the name of the king I serve matters little to me."_

_As the red mist starts to increase in size around her, he looks into her eyes and asks,"Why are you doing this?" Her expression turn solemn and she looks away. "Soulstealer, I have little time now. Before I am lost to the mist- I wanted you to know that I am not the person you think I am. I may have helped many people - but know that every single act was purely self serving. I am no saint as many believe. I have traveled across this vast land not for any king or to help it's people, but in hopes of not only finding vengeance against the Autocrat's Liege but also for finding someone who knew me. So much of my memory, my life has been robbed from me by that man. I help others in hopes that Fortuna (Lady Luck) will take me down that one path that leads to the person who knew me. I don't care the title - daughter, sister, friend,... lover. I would take anything, even enemy. Even now, I'm not sure she ever will - so much time has past and no one has ever come for me. Ever." _

_"I came for you," says the Soulstealer. The Key Emissary looks back at him - here eyes stop glowing and the expression on her face is that of surprise by his words but also of reflection as she realizes the truth in what he has said. She exhales a trembling sigh and says, "The mist quickens, Soulstealer. Please - grant me one final request... why did you come that day - the real reason." The two look upon the other with sadness in their eyes as he says, "The same reason you stand behind that barrier now - the real reason. You can't bare for anything to befall me as much as I can't bare the same for you." A tear slides down the Key emissary's face before looking away from him. She focuses upon the puppet in his arms, and her expression becoming more composed and her eyes start to glow again as she stands to her feet. "She is very lucky to have you. I wish - I wish there was another way. But the path has been set - I can't turn back now. Maybe this was Fortuna's will after all - your life was taken from you - if I can give yours back, maybe she will help me reclaim mine as well." The red mist has grown even more prominent in size and is engulfing the Key Emissary now. As she is slowly pulled in she says, "Take back your old life and walk away from this. Never look back. Never regret." Soon she disappears fully into the crimson cloud and the glow of her gauntlet fades. He hears the sounds of her screams as a glowing red emblem of a bull appears within the cloud. _

_Within mere seconds the glass barrier containing the mist and the emissary disappears. The landscape fades to black, and soon he is surrounded by a dark void with a single white light shining upon him and his wife. As he cradles the puppet, shadow arms reach towards his wife from out of the darkness, grabbing hold of her limbs. He tries to fight them off, but as quickly as the arms appear the puppet is ripped apart and pulled in the void in 4 different directions. He jumps to his feet and runs into the darkness, screaming her name but there is no answer. He withdraws his bow and turns in circles, trying to pin point the location of this dark foe within the void. Soon he notices a dark form standing near the white light. Without looking, without thinking, he aims and fires - the arrow slams straight into it's chest. The dark being falls to it's knees, and he runs towards it. He reaches the light and makes an uncanny discovery - the dark foes looks like him. The being vanishes, and he feels a sharp burning sensation in his chest. He looks down and sees the feathered fletching of his own arrow is protruding from his chest now. He has shot his enemy - and his enemy was himself. His body turns cold as he collapses to the ground. The single white light flickers and fades as the darkness consumes him completely. He hears the voice of his wife saying "Be brave, my Love." As he opens his eyes to glimpse her one last time, he sees the Key Emissary standing over him instead. Now glowing with a red aura, she kneels beside him and smirks, "Wake up, my enemy."_

_..._

_The Soulstealer, covered in sweat, is jolted awake. He is sitting within a tent in the fort outside the Autocrat's castle. It is still night time. A wizard walks in and the Soulstealer asks, "Any word on their return?" The wizard frowns and shakes his head before lying on one of the bedrolls to sleep. The Soulstealer gets up, exits the tent and climbs to the top of the nearest of the Fort's towers. He pulls out his bow and surveys the area, looking for any sign of the wizard Gannon, of his wife, of her. But there is nothing. His heart in conflict, he shakes his head and asks himself, "What have I done?"_

* * *

_The Key Emissary and the Wizard travel unsupervised upon the winding foot paths of the Imperator's kingdom. All their weapons were seized upon entry, leaving them to be little threat now. They watch the broken shells of slaves walking around with heavy packs, a group of young boys playing in Imperator uniforms, and soldiers eyeing them like a wolf eyes a rabbit as it's next meal. They continue moving until they reach the royal tent of the Imperator king. Before they enter, the Key Emissary hands Gannon a small tied bag. "Should something happen today - please give this to the Soulstealer. Tell him it's for his new life," says the Key Emissary with a nervous smile. The wizard nods, and places it within the folds of his robe for safe keeping. The Key Emissary stares at the entrance of the tent when a nearby soldier says to them, "It is a great honor for anyone outside the Legion to get an audience with the Imperator." _

_"This is really happening, " she thought to herself as she forced herself to walk inside. _

_She sees a lone man towards the back of the tent. He is dressed in crimson leather armor sitting upon a throne made of animal bone - it is the Imperator. One of the guards announces their entrance, and they are led to stand before him. She looks to the right and sees a man bounded with restraints and on his knees. Her pulse races when she notices he is wearing a checkered tunic - it is the man she has been looking for, the Autocrat's liege. The Imperator remains sitting and addresses the Key Emissary. "So I finally get to meet the emissary who's accomplished so much in so little time. You are probably wondering why I summoned you here, am I right? A man nearly kills you, and your response is to track him across the breadth of the Meadowsland. You visit the Ebony tower and the reigning Lord flees like a whimpering little pup. When you set your mind to something, you get results. I like that. The question is...are you ready to get started?"_

_The Key Emissary, slightly surprised that the Imperator knew any of this about her, says, "How may I serve you, your grace?"_

_The Imperator continues. "On the west side of my kingdom, there is an entrance to an enchanted cavern. The cavern is sealed with two heavy iron doors that bear the sigil of the Ivory Tower. That same sigil is on the key that we took from the Autocrat's liege when we captured him. Isn't that interesting? Even more interesting, the key appears to fit the key slot for opening the doors. So you know what I think? I think this is the key to those doors - doors that can't be pried open and would not budge under the best of spells. Because all that, I tried."_

_She asks, "And once I am inside?"_

_The Imperator smiles, "I want you to destroy whatever you find in there. And then I want you to come back here and tell me about it. Go to the cavern and take this key with you. My soldiers will meet you there, with your weapons and equipment. Talk to the Autocrat's liege on your way out. He knows I'm going to let you decide how he dies. Maybe you want to remind him."_

_The Imperator bestows her with the Autocrats key, the one she had been seeking for so long. She returns her attention to the man in the checkered tunic. The Imperator promised the life of this man to her in exchange for a seemingly simple task. Finally, after all this time she would have the revenge she sought. The man who took her old life away, a life should not remember because of him. Oh how she would make him pay for his treachery. She had all forgotten why she had come to begin with - until she turned and saw the Wizard Gannon standing there. The promises she made came back to her suddenly - Star and the Soulstealer's wife and child. She was ashamed that her own need for revenge caused her to forgot her oaths so quickly._

_She turns back to the Imperator and asks, "Your grace, I will gladly do as you have instructed. But I also seek the lives of three others as part of the payment for this deed."_

_The Imperator gives a quizzical look. "Others? Most would not dare challenge my generosity, but you are not like them are you? You have piqued my interest - who are the others you so desperately seek?."_

_The Key Emissary continues with her request. "A woman by the Name of Carla Boone. She was with child and taken here. I seek both of their lives. Also, a woman - Star of the Militant King. She was taken from her post for the Arena. If she lives, I seek her life as well."_

_The Imperator remains silent for several moments, mulling over her request. He calls over one of his guard and whispers something in his ear. The guard takes his leave, and the Imperator addresses her again. "And why do you think they are here, under my realm?" The Key Emissary provides the magic scroll of the witch and a vocal stone that was left at the Militant camp where the Star was taken. She rubbed the stone to activate the voice it had captured, a boast by his men that Star had been abducted. The Imperator examines the evidence thoroughly and speaks, "I see. The woman Carla is a well known slave, a gift given to my most prestigious General Lanius. You would not consider taking another in her place?"_

_The Key Emissary is surprised by this and thinks to herself, "Of the thousands of slaves in this kingdom - how is this one woman known?" She addresses the king, "I cannot, your grace. It must be her."_

_"And Star as you call her - also well known. She has slain many of my men in the arena - the best of my gladiators. You would not consider another in her place as well then?"_

_Again, the Imperator's words surprise her. She always had it in her mind of Star being docile and afraid- it only now occurs to her that Star must have given those soldiers quite a fight . That is why they took her - she was the only survivor for a reason. She must be an extremely fierce combatant. The Key Emissary address the king again, "I am afraid I must ask for her as well."_

_"I see, " says the Imperator. "And once I give you these three - what are your intentions for them?"_

_The Key Emissary knows the Imperator frowns upon weakness. He will not hand them over if he believes she will release them. "They will become property of the wizard, Gannon. These two have been treacherous to him in the past, and I am honor bound to assist him in the vengeance he seeks. They will serve as his slaves," coughs the Key Emissary._

_"And what assurances do I have that once you have left this place, you won't simply set them free?"_

_The Key Emissary coughs, "My word is my bond, my bond is my life . I am giving you my word as a member of your court - they will not be released. I am merely trying to free myself of this debt from this wizard."_

_The Imperator places both hands on his throne and sits in silence. The guard returns and stands behind the Imperator. "Well - that is interesting. You tie your word to your life - by referring to yourself as part of my court, you understand that you have just pledged your undying loyalty to me, and you will fall under the law of my rule?"_

_"Yes, my lord."_

_The Imperator stands up. "Very well - I will bestow these three to you and in return you will be my emissary, loyal only to me. Do you agree to the terms?"_

_"I agree," answers the Key Emissary._

_"Excellent," the Imperator responds before sitting upon his throne again. "Guards, seize her." Two Imperator guardsmen grab the Key Emissary, each holding an arm and force her to her knees. She struggles and yells, "What is the meaning of this!" _

_The Imperator motions to one of his guard, who comes forth and drops two items before her: her bow and her broken stealth amulet. "Two days ago someone took a number of items from one of my camps. One of those items was a book containing slave transactions. The items before you were left behind by the assailant. Interesting that today you come before me asking for people who were listed in that tome. Tell me - how did you know that Star was fighting in my arena? The vocal stone you showed me made no mention of that fact."_

_The Key Emissary nervously responds, "Because...it is common knowledge that Militant prisoners are used in your Arena."_

_"No - it is common knowledge that we crucify our enemies. You knew she was in my Arena. Again I ask - how did you know this? If you wish, I can have my soldiers go through the belongings of you and your friend here - if you are confident that we will not find any of my missing items on either of you."_

_The slave ledger and the Star's militant necklace are in her current belongings. "I can lie now and make this worse or come clean and make it less worse," she thinks to herself. The Key Emissary relents and says, "I know because I am the one who took it."_

_The Imperator laughs. "Honesty! That is a very good place to start." He motions to one of his guard. "Go fetch the slaves she seeks."_

_The guards continue to hold her in place as they wait for the three to arrive. She looks over at Gannon, who looks as unsure of what will happen next as much as her. She mouths "sorry" to him and he nods. After several minutes, two women are brought into the Imperator's tent. Both are wearing rags and bear the red x of an Imperator slave. One woman walks with her head held high and has bandages wrapped around her hands and wrists. The other is far less confident, looking down as she walks and carries a newborn. The guard leading the women address the Imperator, "Almighty Imperator, I must inform you that the slave of Lanius carries his child." The Key Emissary heart drops - "Things have gone bad to worse," she thought to herself. "Surely, he will not let her leave now."_

_ The Imperator pauses for several moments, before speaking. "Lanius is at his own encampment and will not be back for some time. I have already agreed - I will deal with him later on this matter. She goes." He turns his attention back to a much relieved Key Emissary. "Here are the three you requested." says the king. "But our business is not quite finished. From the bandage on your hand and the bruising on your wrist, I assume you are the one we crucified that day. One of my men died the day you escaped my camp. You will either tell me the name of the person who killed him, so that we may seek them out and extract punishment. Or you will take the life of one of these slaves here for payment and remain partially indebted to this wizard."_

_The Key Emissary is stunned. She can not reveal the Soulstealer as the person responsible. __She looks upon the two woman and the child. In her heart, she can't pick any of them_ either. She must name someone - it's the only way to get the Imperator to see her intentions of allegiance as sincere. She could lie and give the name of someone else - but who? She takes a deep breath, and says without thinking, "The one who took your soldier's life is a Soulstealer, he lives in the town of the green dragon. He goes by the name Vargas." Her heart sinks as the words escape her lips. She just sealed an innocent man, once the best friend of the Soulstealer, to his doom - a whole town in fact. He is their last guardian. Why did she not name one of many of the Militant's Soulstealers she had met outside the City of Lights? Why did she not make up a person who could not be found? "Too late now - it can not be undone," she thinks to herself regretfully. She looks at the Soulstealer's wife, half expecting a reaction from the name. But there was nothing - she stood obediently, like she was waiting for her next instruction.

_The Imperator says, "Perhaps your word of allegiance is genuine after all. Wizard, take your slaves and take your leave. My emissary's debt has been paid in full - seek anymore payment and I will have you crucified."_

_The Key Emissary gives Gannon a nervous smile and nod as he looks sorrowfully upon her. But he complies, taking the two women and leaving the Emissary behind._

_The Imperator looks down upon the defeated emissary. "It would be wise for you to learn that there are two things I despise above everything else in this world - thieves and liars. And you happen to be both. I have released men to people they have wronged before - how quick they turned to fear and begging than face that fate. Those woman did not even know that man, a friend of yours more than likely. I had my seal delivered to you, and I promised to forgive all past aggressions. I am generously including these recent acts against my kingdom in that forgiveness, but my generosity is at an end. No more lies, no more thievery. Because trust is earned and not given, I am going to need ... insurance that you uphold your end of our agreement." _

_The Imperator calls his wizard forward. He approaches the Key Emissary and begins speaking an ancient incantation, waving his hands over her gauntlet. It glows bright as the spell is cast, and suddenly goes dark right before he rips it free from her arm. She struggles with the guards when he starts waving his hands over her head. Another guard rushes up behind her and grabs her by the nap of the neck to keep her steady. The wizards waves his hands over her head again, casting a powerful spell of loyalty upon her. She tries to fight the spell but she succumbs all the same. Her head hangs low now - the fight within her has left. The guards pull her up to her feet, and return to their original post. Four Imperator soldiers walk in and stand in formation around her. The Imperator gives the emissary's gauntlet to the highest ranking of the four before addressing the Key Emissary. "You are my emissary now. These four will serve as a personal envoy, ensuring you don't get lost on the path to the tasks I give. Now go and destroy the cavern under my domain. Return when your task is complete."_

_The Key Emissary eyes glow red as she bows to the Imperator and says, "It will be done, my lord."_

* * *

_The Soulstealer surveys the area from the fort's east tower. In the distance, he spots three travelers. Two women, one man. As they get closer he recognizes the mans as the Wizard. His eyes fall upon both women - both have their faces veiled, a common practice while crossing the desert of the Meadowsland to protect one's face from harsh sandstorms. His pulse races and his face returns to normal when he sees one is carrying a child. He grabs his bow, climbs down from the tower, and sprints across the landscape as fast as he can to meet them. As he gets closer, he sees the wizard recognizes him and he waves. Gannon says something to the woman with the child, who directs her attention to the Soulstealer. She stops walking, staring at him. The Soulstealer finally reaches them, walks up to the woman with the child. She steps back, taking a defensive posture - as if she is preparing for a blow. The Soulstealer hearts sinks - "She thinks I'm here to hurt her," he says to himself. "My love, it's me! You remember your husband," he says and he reaches forward to remove her veil. She withdraws yet again. The Soulstealer looks at the wizard, and says, "I don't understand."_

_Gannon, trying to reassure him says, "Maybe she is confused. A lot has happened today - she probably needs some time to adjust."_

_The Soulstealer looks upon the child in her arms and smiles, then the smile fades. He looks around, then looks back at Gannon and asks, "Where is the emissary?"_

_"She is still in the Imperator's kingdom."_

_The Soulstealer is visibly angry now. "You left her there?"_

_The tone of the Wizards voice turns stern, "I had little choice - I was lucky to leave with these three. I will fill you in on the details later. I assure you she will be ok - it was clear that she is of high importance to the Imperator. He will not casually throw her life away. She did want me to give you this." He reaches into his robes and pulls out the small bag, handing it to the Soulstealer. His anger subsides from the wizard's words, and unties the bag. It is filled with hundreds of gold coins. His expression turns solemn as the wizard says, "She said it was for your new life." The Soulstealer nods sadly, slowly returning his attention to his wife._

_"There is more you need to know," says the Wizard. "Your wife is with child." The Soulstealer looks at her with a look of surprise and anguish on his face. He reaches toward her to embrace her, but she withdraws yet again. He goes to remove her veil, this time anticipating her evading movement and successfully pulls it from her face. The expression on the women's face is that of fear as the two look into the others eyes. Time stood still for a few moments for them - no words, barely any breathing between the two. Suddenly, the Soulstealer ends the moment by turning his body away from her. He starts walking back towards the fort as his face slowly starts hardening back to stone. "Wait - where are you going," yells the now confused Wizard. The Soulstealer replies, "Anywhere but here - this woman is not my wife."_

* * *

**Notes on the dream: (totally optional) - Just wanted to throw out an explanation for the dream sequence in case I lost anybody (my bad if I did!). 1) If it's red, it's Legion related. The red mist in this case represents the Legion/Imperator conditioning. The red aura of the courier is a play on Boone's spotter perk - red = enemy, also to indicate she is now with the Legion now. 2) I turned Carla into a puppet, a type of symbolic representation of being a Legion slave (which always kind of reminded me of sad broken dolls in the game). So the courier is a puppet? Yeah - b/c essentially anyone who is playing the game is controlling the courier, right? ;) She says she has no puppet master, but she means she is not controlled by Mr. House, the NCR, or the Legion. We're really the puppet master of course. Carla gets the glowing red x, as slaves are marked with X. Courier siding with the Legion is not so much a slave, but higher in status (so she get's the bull symbol). 3) The entire dream is supposed to represent Boone's inner conflict with himself not only over the feelings he has for both the courier and Carla, but how Carla is going to react once they are reunited. I tried to show that he did care for both of them. Also, the line of questioning by Carla wasn't really meant to show her in a negative light - Boone is really asking himself these things and questioning the choices he's made._  
_


	7. Chapter 7: The Darkness is Watching

Author's Notes: Everything from this point on is more of an Act II, so I'm kinda flip flopping a bit between flashbacks and present day (I'll denote as [Flashback] or [Current]). Finally got to Stella/Star - I originally was going to end everything this chapter, but got a few new ideas and didn't think it was fair to finally get to her and not do anything with her. She's NCR who's spent months as a Legion POW in their arena - I wanted her character to really show a twisted thought process based on what she's been through, inspired by a touch of Jubal Early from Firefly. Definitely a bit AU this time - expect this chapter to go a little deeper into the rabbit hole. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Act II, CHAPTER SEVEN: The Darkness is Watching

* * *

**[Courier Flashback] Camp McCarran, 2 months earlier  
**

Boone and I walk up to Major Dhatri. "You two still working on that last bounty," he asks before I hand him the bag. He looks inside, smiles and says "Yeah, that's Cook-Cook alright. Well...this is payback for at least one of my troopers. She'll be glad to know he's dead." He reaches in his pocket and hands over the caps. "You two have been one hell of a stroke of good luck, you know that? Those three scumbags probably killed twenty NCR troopers. And you two bring them down alone. Wish I had a few grunts as good as you. Damn good working with both of you." We shake hands with the Major, then take our leave. As we walk away I say to Boone, "Let's grab a drink and get squared before we head out." I point to one of the nearby tents and say, "Meet you there in fifteen. Sound good to you?" He nods and walks towards a group of 1st Recon snipers standing nearby.

As I enter the tent, I reflect on Dhatri's words. We're a stroke of good luck? I stifled a laugh when he said it. I'm not a fan of the NCR...or the Legion or Mr. House for that matter. Boone helps because I help...and I'm not exactly sure why I've been helping them. I guess maybe to gain perspective on who they are, what they believe. Sounds good on paper, but honestly...that's a lie. I'm only helping because of Boone. The deeper I delve into the NCR, the better it helps me understand him. And I guess I only care because...he's the closest thing I have to a friend out here. He's my lifeline when things go to hell, which seems to happen too frequently here in New Vegas. And the tale of what happened to his wife haunts me for some reason - and I know it haunts him still. He barely sleeps, and when he does - you can look at him and tell he's in the middle of reliving a nightmare. He never said how he knew she was dead - and I never asked. I don't think I want to know that answer - and I know he doesn't want to say it.

I take a seat at one of the tables, pour myself a drink from the whiskey bottle I had stashed in my gear bag, and start counting out his share of the bounty. He doesn't care about the caps, but I still make him take his cut on everything anyways. I throw down a shot and pour another. I look down and see my hands are shaking. I look up and see Boone entering the tent - I make a fist to hide the nervousness. He takes a seat as I pour him a drink. He throws a shot back as I say, "It turned out to be a good day."

"_If you say so,_" he replies. Small talk isn't exactly a skill we've mastered in this relationship, so I point my hand towards the pile of caps on the table and say, "Your cut," before pouring another drink. He collects the caps and tosses them in his gear bag as I say, "So, any of the snipers here friends of yours?"

He says, "_I don't have any friends._" I double blink before coughing, "Really? Hey, me either."

"_I doubt that,_" he says coolly. I look at him with a raised eyebrow. "Why would you say that?"

_"A Mojave Express courier that's a woman - that's gotta be rare. I'm sure every delivery you make, you're remembered. People tend to remember a pretty face."_

Uh...wait. Did he just say I had a "pretty face?" Not sure if he was being flattering or insulting - either way, the statement didn't sit right. "Well...I wouldn't exactly refer to the guys working the Mojave express pick up counter as 'friends.' And there are plenty of women couriers out there so you know..wouldn't call them friends exactly either. Maybe friendly competition. " I top off my glass and cough, "There was this one courier name Lucky. Now she was really popular with the guys. I guess maybe that's how she got that nickname..."

_"Why do you always do that,"_ he says, interrupting me.

"Do what?"

"_Lie." _ I nearly choke on my whiskey at the accusation. He continues, _"It doesn't make sense. Most people lie to cheat someone or to make themselves look more important than they really are. But you - the lies you tell are about unimportant things that never happened. Like you're lying to fit in, to look normal." _I look at him in disbelief. Did I just get fucking psychoanalyzed by a sniper? And how the hell did he know that? I frown as I say, "Tell me how you know I'm lying."

_"Tell me why you lie._" I shake my head as I pour another drink. "Tell me why you care." He turns over his shot glass and says, "_Because when the shit hits the fan, I don't have time to guess whether what you're saying is true or not. Hesitation will get you killed out here. I need to know I can trust what you're saying when it counts._" I glare at him, "When the hell have I ever done anything that made you not trust me?" He glares back, "_Help me understand why you won't put me in that situation._" I look away. Fuck. I really don't want to talk about this, but I guess it had to happen some time. I throw back my shot and turn the glass over. I close my eyes briefly and take a deep breathe. "Ok...fine. I..." I look down at my hand. It's trembling worse than before. I'm not nervous this time...I'm terrified. Of all the things I've forgotten, why not this?

"When we go to Good Springs, I always go up to the cemetery on the hill. Visit an open grave there. I visit it because...it's mine. I remember waking up on that hill one night, tied up and gagged, laying on the ground. There are three guys standing in front of me. I was confused - I didn't understand what was going on. What I had done. Things went fast after that. The guy running the show, Benny, pulls out of his jacket pocket the poker chip I was delivering - I get real quick that this is a robbery. One of the guys is holding a shovel - I get I'm not going to live through this one. Benny tells his friend that he looks at people in the face before killing them, that he's no fink. Now I really know I'm dead. He looks at me and tells me I've made my last delivery, that he's sorry I got twisted up in the whole thing. Tells me that I must think this is bad luck, points his pistol at me and says the game was rigged from the start. Then...he fires. Everything went black after that. Woke up at Doc Mitchell's up on the hill - that's when I learn I was shot in the head and buried alive. A securitron dug me up and brought me to him." I take my hat off and push my hair back to show the scar on my forehead. I swallow hard before continuing, "Doc patched me up, gave me a pip boy and kicked me out the door. He thought I was ok, but the truth is...I couldn't remember a damn thing. My memory starts at that cemetery - I don't remember anything before that. Hell, when the doc asked me my name I just made up one. I couldn't even remember that. Guess the lies started there. People tend to think they can take advantage of you if you tell them you have amnesia, that you are some how more trusting, that your mind works slower. Do I lie? Yeah. But only when it comes to my past...better to have a lie than nothing. Like you said...I just want to appear normal. To feel normal."

I look over and see him looking at me. Hard to read what he's thinking - his face is never expressive. He finally speaks, "_You really are lucky. Most people wouldn't survive something like that_." I smirk, "Yeah. Lucky...but not the Lucky courier I mentioned earlier. I completely made that whore up." I hear what I think is a chuckle from him. He starts to ask, "_So your real name isn't..._" I interrupt before he can finish his sentence, "No. Not my real name." He pauses and says, "_Doesn't seem right to call you by a name that isn't yours._ " I laugh, "Then just call me by the name I do know for a fact is mine. Courier." He nods, and I throw the bottle of whiskey back in my gear bag, and start gathering everything up. Midway I stop and see he's staring off in the distance, preoccupied with something. While we're having a heart to heart, figured I'd ask him a question.

"Boone - what exactly happened to your wife?" He turns his head sharply towards me, a look of surprise in his eyes. "_What's it matter? She's dead._" I say, "I told you why I lie, so you would better understand me. This would help me better understand you."

He hesitates, looking at me with a steely stare, before saying_ "All right. She...I tracked her down. Southeast, near the river. They were selling her. Saw it through my scope. Whole place swarming with Legion. Hundreds of them. Bidding for things no man has a right to. I just had my rifle with me. Just me, against all of them, so...I took the shot."_

His words hit hard. He told me before that she was dead - but in my heart I never believed it. I thought he considered her dead because she was taken by the Legion - I had hope that I could help him find her again. But I never imagined...anything like this. I try to reassure him by saying, "Better for her to die than live as a Legion slave."

He seems more at ease now. _"Yeah. What they do to women...that's worse than death. There was no choice in what I did. It was more like...being forced to watch something you can't stop. All this was only ever going to play out one way. It still is. I don't have any say. All I can do is wait for it to be done with me."_

It was going to play out one way? What does he mean? I say, "You make it sound like your wife's death was inevitable."

_"It was gonna be something. If I'd never met Carla, it would've been something else. I should've never gotten close to her. I've got bad things coming to me. You'd better keep your distance, too. "_

I give him a concerned look and ask, "Why do you think you've got bad things coming? "

_"Because fair is fair."_

"I don't understand."

_"Better that you don't."_

I stare at him for a minute before nodding my head. I get that he thinks anyone who gets close to him will get hurt - hence, no friends. I wonder what he did to make him think misfortune is following him? I pack the rest of my gear and cough, "Well, we've had good luck lately so maybe it's all done with you." He stands up, looks at me and says, "_You wanted to know how I know when you're lying? You always cough, Courier._" I look up at him blankly. I cough when I lie? And I did just cough - but I wasn't lying. "No, I...wait. I cough when I lie? That's how you know when I'm lying? Coughing? ...But what I just said wasn't a lie - I really believe that. I think bad luck is done with you, Boone."

He says, "_Then maybe subconsciously, you don't believe that. Either way, doesn't matter. We're heading out now?_" I nod and say, "Yeah, in a few." He heads out of the tent and says, "_Good. I'll meet you at the entrance of McCarran_."

* * *

[Present]** Outside the Wizards Fort**

_The wizard Gannon looks forlorn as he watches the Soulstealer walking away. This was not a contingency he had anticipated. The Key Emissary's plan has fallen apart - and he's left holding the pieces. He notices Star approaching him. She takes her veil off, smiles and says to him, "Want me to bring him back?"_

_The wizard is taken by surprise. He couldn't get either woman to talk the entire trip back, and now she speaks so freely. He stumbles over his words, "Uh...yes, yes. If you can, have him meet back with us at the wizard's Fort. I'll take the woman and child there - they need food and rest."_

_Star nods and winks at the wizard. She looks over at the mother and says, "Femina (woman), do you know me?" The woman looks scared, but nods an acknowledgement. Star smiles and says "So you know what I do to slaves with no master." Gannon raises an eyebrow as the woman nervously nods again. "Good. Parere! Magus sequere! Parere! (Obey! Follow the wizard. Obey!)" The woman complies immediately, falling in step behind the wizard. Gannon is furious at what he just witnessed. As Star heads in the direction of the Soulstealer, the wizard pulls her aside, and says, "Do not threaten her or give her slave commands - she and her child are free now, as are you! There is no Imperator rules here. That life is behind you now." Star looks at him and sighs, "Two people stand before a king. One barters their life so three may be free. The second leaves with the three and pays no price. Who is more of a man - the one who stayed or the one who walked away?" Gannon's mouth drops open for a moment as he digest her words, before scowling, "If you have something to say about my actions today..."_

_Star smiles and says, "No my dear Wizard - but your perspective is flawed. You can't take a broken shell of a Imperator slave and set her free. Not right away anyways. I understand your intentions are noble - you think you're helping." She nods in the direction of the slave woman, who is staring at the ground, and continues. "Look at her. You've just shattered her world. She has no place to sleep now, knows not where her next meal will come from, and while the Imperator rule might be harsh - these are things she did not have to worry about. Now she's completely vulnerable to the world - and at least she knew where the next attack was coming from in the Imperator realm. Now the attack can come anywhere, everywhere." Gannon counters, addressing the mother and Star, "You both can stay here at the fort as long as you wish. We can provide food, water, shelter, safety." Star boisterously laughs at the last part and shakes her head. She attempts to stifle her laughter as she pulls Gannon aside so the slave may not hear her words, speaking in the language of old. "She's welcome to stay at your fort. It's only a matter of time before your life or your generosity will run out, and she knows this. And at that point, you've made her worse than a slave." Star taps the side of her temple with her index finger. "Her thought process, not mine. Slave conditioning, remember?" She grabs his arm and starts walking, guiding him to walk with her. "Through time she'll change, wizard - be more the person she used to be than the obliging slave before us - but now she needs something familiar - she needs to see strength and control. Otherwise, her conditioning will have her running back to her master first chance she gets. I've seen it happen a dozen times before. Never ended well. But what makes this situation particularly delicate is that she is slave of Lanius and carries his child. I guarantee she fears him more than any person in this world - even now she does not want to be on his bad side. And her being here with his child *is* being on his bad side. The things that he has done to the disobedient are not spoken of in Imperator society for fear it may also befall the speaker. If we don't tighten the tether, she will run. She'll lead him straight to your beloved Fort and he has all the reason he needs to burn it to the ground. Nothing will remain - not a single brick, not a single drop of blood, not a single charred bone. It will be a flattened, giant burn spot in place of what you currently call home."_

_Star pauses for Gannon to respond, but he is speechless. She smiles and says, "I was merely attempting to avoid a potentially bad situation. But of course, do what you feel is most appropriate, wizard. " She looks at the woman and growls "Parere!" before running off after the Soulstealer._

* * *

[present] **Fortification Hill**

The Legion guard lead me to the weather monitoring station. Inside, I place the platinum chip inside the large weather station console, and a set of doors open up in the floor. I hold my breath as I descend down the steps, and follow a hallway until I see a set of doors bearing the symbol of the Lucky 38. They're elevator doors - this must be the entrance to the secret bunker. I open the doors and get inside. The second the doors shut and the elevator begins to descend, I hit the stop button. I look at the metallic wall and she my reflection. I pull down the red legion face wrap they put on me and see the metal band around my neck. I assume it's a control collar - but I've never seen one like this. It's thinner than what they put on slaves, easier to conceal under clothing. And it has flashing lights - I'm not sure what they mean. I dare not touch it - learned that lesson at the Sierra Madre. The collar I will have to deal with later. Right now, I need something else.

I sit on the floor and lean against the wall. I hadn't slept in almost two days - I'm was tired 12 hours ago. Now, I'm hallucinating. I try not to think about how bad things went today - how I'm trapped working for people I hate. How I'll... never see him again. I really am alone right now - all ties to everything and everyone outside of here feel cut. Forever. Can't think about this stuff right now - my eyelids are heavy and I close them. Just need a little sleep - just a little. They'll never know...

Time passes - I have no idea how long before I hear a woman's voice in front of me. "Thank you for freeing Stella. I should have know of all the people in this world, you would be the *only* one who would actually succeed in getting that crazy bitch out." I open my eyes and see the old woman with dark hair standing in front of me, Stella's mother. What did she just say? And how did she get in here? She continues talking, "She was finally granted her request for death too - was supposed to happen tomorrow in the arena. You have no idea how long I have waited for that day. And all you had to do was tell that robot you were busy, that you'd see Mr. House later. You would have stayed in your suite that night, had your fling, and then...then you would have been right on course. All you had to do was wait one little day and we would have all been happy. But you couldn't do that, could you? You had to skip track, come here early and fuck everything up."

I glare at her, half trying to contain my anger. "Fuck everything up? How do you know those things about me? And why ask me to find your daughter if you really wanted her dead? You have no idea what I just went through to even get here. I just gave up *everything* for you! For her!"

She smiles at me and hisses, "For him you mean. Don't lie. You already accepted Stella as dead. You didn't come here for a dead woman - you did it for him alone. So quickly you threw away everything for a man who never loved you." I growl, "Don't you say another word about him..."

She smirks and replies, "Or what? Can't take the truth? Tell me I'm wrong - would a man who loved you let the Legion have their way with you right now while he walks away to make a life with another woman? You think that's love? How soon he will forget you. I'm sure he forgot the second he laid eyes on her. You remember looking at her - that brief moment of envy you had in your heart. She was quite beautiful, don't you think? So much more than a common Mojave Express courier. I can see why he chose her over you. Any man would." I slam my bandaged fist into the floor - I feel the warmness of my blood forming on my knuckles. But I feel no pain - my whole body feels numb in fact. "Glad to see it doesn't bother you, " she laughs. I look up and snarl at her, "You don't know anything."

She smiles and says, "I know I am here...and he is not." I jump to my feet and look the woman in the eye and say, "Who exactly are you? How did you get in here? And what the hell do you want?"

"I have gone by many names: Tyche, Fortuna. Most here call me Lady Luck. As to why I am here - I have always followed you. You are one of my daughters after all."

"Daughter?"

She continues, "You were shot in the head and buried alive. The only thing that saved you that day was luck, my luck that I granted you. But you live for a reason - to do my work. I have been leading you all this time, and you were accomplishing so much at first. But look at you now - all defeated and broken. You have forgotten your way, forgotten my creed. And you will remain here until you relearn it."

"What do you mean remain here? Stay with the legion? This is some type of punishment?"

"Not a punishment - a lesson, a re-purposing. I have given so much to you and you have taken it all for granted. I gave you a protector to make you stronger, but your feelings for him have only made you weaker. So I took him away. I had given you a pip-boy to give you focus and guide you on the path I have laid before you, but you walk in circles helping others and ignoring my will. So I took that away. You have offset the balance of power in this region by aiding Mr. House and the NCR repeatedly, so I have given you to the Legion. It is not your decision who rules this land, Augusta, only my own. Only when you have relearned who you are, and your real purpose will you be free."

Augusta? Where have I heard that name? "Look, lady. You have me confused with someone else. I'm not this big important person you're making me out to be. I'm just a courier. Nothing more."

She smiles and says, "A simple courier...who has open access to Mr. House and to Caesar and to very important people in the NCR. Very few people can say that. Maybe you're just...lucky?" I blink at her as she presses the start button on the elevator, and we start to descend. I look to the right and see the blurry reflection of myself in the wall. But I notice...there is no reflection for the woman. I look back and now she is gone. I...I must be having a psychotic breakdown. I close my eyes and hold my face in my hands. I never wanted to go out of this world being...crazy.

The elevator doors open and I step out. I take a few steps and hear the voice of the woman whispering to me. "I hope you like your new pip-boy. This one will keep you even more focused." I turn around quickly, but she is not there. New pip-boy? Caesar took mine - what did she mean? I continuing walking when I hear the familiar ticking sound of a Geiger counter - I'm taking on rads. I reflexively look down at my bare arm, forgetting briefly that I have no pip-boy. It took me a few seconds before I realized the horrible truth - the sound is coming from my collar. The fucking collar around my neck is made from pip-boy components. A pip-boy control collar? This can't be happening to me...

* * *

**[Camp McCarran, 2 months ago - Courier/Soulstealer Flashback continued] **

I step out of the tent and head toward the gates of McCarran to meet up with Boone. I get within 20 paces of the gate when I feel a hand grab my arm. I turn and see it's Corporal Betsy. Before I can say anything, she yanks me toward her and she kisses me, forcing her tongue in my mouth. I feel her hand rummaging across the front of my shirt until it finds it's way inside. Before I can push her off me, I feel a sharp, blinding pain in my head and everything fades to black. I don't lose consciousness, but my mind is suddenly flooded with images...

_ I see a young woman with fair colored hair wearing a new NCR recruit uniform with the face wrap pulled down. She looks neat and polished, but her face is blurred - the sun is blinding right now. We're walking through the Mojave together...her presence feels familiar. We're friends. "Do you think I'll like the NCR," she asks me. I nod, "Are you kidding? You'll love it. You'll be surrounded by fighting." She smiles, then quickly frowns. "I wonder why it has to be this army though. They have the worst uniforms." I stop walking and grab her arm. Her face is still blurred, but I can see the puzzled look in her eyes. I'm concerned and I'm not sure why - I'm hiding something from her. I say to her, "I sense you have doubt. No matter what happens, you have to trust in the path, Belli. No matter how difficult it becomes, promise me you won't deviate from it." She nods and then playfully points at a patch of blooming cacti in the distance, tells me to look. I turn my head, and she rushes over and kisses me on the mouth. I push her off, cursing at her. She is laughing, and says "For good luck, Augusta." I wipe my mouth and scowl, "Bad luck you mean." She laughs again. We continue to walk through the Mojave when suddenly she stops, grabbing my arm for me to stop as well. She stares off in the distance for a few moments before turning toward me. Her carefree spirit is gone now, and I ask, "Mala?" She nods and starts speaking with a tremble in her voice, "Oportet festinare iter. Sentio spectat tenebras. (We must hasten our journey. I sense darkness is watching.)"  
_

The memory stops and the darkness fades when Betsy pulls away from me and says, "That's for killing that motherfucker Cook Cook." The pain subsides and my vision returns. She looks me up and down before walking off and yelling "The kiss I mean. The money is for being grade-A porn, girl!" I reach into my shirt and pull out about $200 in NCR bills that she placed there. I look up at Betsy and frown - they warned me she was trying to pick up women since the rape happened and she did hit on me first time we met. Obviously, she hadn't gone to get help like she promised. I throw the money at her, but the bills separate and fly apart before gliding to the ground. Too many emotions are going through me to sort at one time: I feel angry, but a voice in my head is telling me to take the path of compassion and tolerance - you know Betsy is not right in the head. She needs help. I yell at her angrily, "Go see Dr. Usanagi before you make me drag you there." She turns and laughs, "Anything for you, girl. Remember to let me know if you plan on joining the army, I can be your partner like we talked about - we can spot for each other all night long." I shutter for a second, then turn around and walk away. Tolerance. Be tolerant. If you act out in anger, do you really feel like taking on all the NCR personnel stationed at McCarran in a fight? She'll look back on this, apologize, and you'll be happy you didn't shoot her. Right? Best thing I can do right now is just leave I tell myself. As I march towards the gate, I try to suppress in my mind what just happened, focusing on making sense of the memory flashback. What the hell did I just remember? Who was that woman in the NCR uniform? As I step through the gates, I experience another sudden pain in my head but this time it's worse. I manage to lean against one of the outer walls that surround McCarran, and slide to the ground before I pass out.

...

_The Soul Stealer stands behind a nearby tent. He watches the emissary walking toward the camp's gate to leave and starts to follow but stops when he detects the female Soul Stealer approaching her. He watches from afar as she grabs the emissary by the arm and kisses her by surprise. As soon as it begins the kiss ends, but he notices the aura of the emissary faded momentarily from green to black. He had never seen a black aura before - he was not sure what that meant. The female soulstealer starts walking away and the emissary looks flustered. She reaches into her robe and throws what looks like currency at the female soulstealer, yelling something about seeing a healer. The female soul stealer laughs and keeps walking. The emissary looks upset, her aura now flickering between green and black as she stumbles toward the exit. As the female soulstealer walks by he says to her, "Shouldn't have done that."_

_She stops, looks him up and down and smirks, "Why not? She liked it."_

_He says, "Did Cook-cook said the same thing about you?" The female soulstealer looks at him in shock. "That's not even the same," she exclaims._

_"You trying to convince me or yourself?" Her mouth drops open but no words come out. As he walks away he says, "Go see the healer."_

_...  
_

_He makes his way to the outer gates of the camp. As he steps through the great doors, he sees the emissary is lying against the nearby wall unconscious. Her aura is completely black now. He scans the area and notices an old woman in the distance who looks like she is staring at the fallen emissary. Her hair is dark, face is blurred and her aura is black as well. He stares at her and the woman's aura fades away completely now and she starts walking. He hears the emissary coughing, and he looks down at her and sees her aura is fading back to green. He shakes her shoulder to see if she is ok..._

_...  
_

I feel someone shaking me as I come back to consciousness. "Whaaaaaaaaaaat," I moan. I hear a voice ask, "_Are you ok? What happened?_ " I look up and see it's Boone. I ask him, "Did ...did you just see what happened back there?"

_"See what?"_

My head starts to clear as I say, "Good - you didn't. Best news all day." I sit up a little and look off in the distance - I see an old woman with black hair walking. She stops to look at me briefly, then starts walking again. Yeah, the show's over, lady. I watch her for a few seconds, then look away and say, "Mala."

"_What?_"

"It's ...just something I remember hearing. Nothing important." I stand up and lean against the wall for a few moments. When I feel strong enough to walk, I take a few steps then look over at Boone. He says, "_You going to tell me how you ended up down there or what?_"

"I...just had a pain in my head. And kinda passed out. I'm sure it's no big deal."

He asks, "_You have these often?_"

"No - today's the first time."

"_May be related to your head injury. Might be a good idea to see a doctor_."

I put my right hand on my forehead and shake my head. "Yeah...probably couldn't hurt. I was going to head to the Lucky 38, hang there for a few days anyways. Take a break. Guess I can get checked out by a doctor at the old Mormon fort in Freeside on the way there."

We start heading toward Freeside, and Boone asks, "_Any plans for the strip then?_"

I say, "Oh yeah. I'm going straight to the closest casino with a bar. I'm going to get drunk. I'm going to cry. I'm going to throw up. I'm going to pass out. And I'm probably going to do most of those more than one time in no predesignated order. Hell, even I don't want to be there for this one."

He asks, "_Then why do it._"

"Because I need to forget today really badly."

_"You said it was a good day earlier."_

"Yeah...well. Things changed."

"_Is this about Betsy?_"

My mouth falls open in disbelief before I look away from him. My cheeks feel flustered as I rub my brow and sigh, "Just when I was thinking this day couldn't get any worse...it just did." I feel a pat on my back and hear Boone say, "_How about we get you checked out at Old Mormon fort then we go get that drink?"_

* * *

**[Present] The City of Lights**

_The Soulstealer walked past the wizard's fort going deeper within the inner circle of the City of Lights, but his spirit was lost yet again. He walked with no direction, no destination, no purpose. His head and heart were in turmoil - confused, anguished, angered. His wife being alive was all a lie and now the Key Emissary is caught in the Imperator's grasp. Everything had fallen apart - everything has gone wrong. The only thing he knew for certain was that he needed to keep moving, it didn't matter where. He looked up and saw the Ivory Tower nearby - it's beauty a beacon in the Meadowsland, seen even in it's furthermost corners. He stops and stares upon it, it's presence is inescapable - as are his memories within it. In a moment of desperation, he asks the emissary's patroness for her help as he stares onward. "Fortuna, please, grant me your guidance. Give me my path. Grant me your wisdom and direction." he says aloud. He continues to look at the Ivory tower as it radiates brightly in the sun, when he hears foot falls behind him. He turns and lets out a sigh of disappointment when he sees that it is Star running toward him. She approaches out of breath. "Forgive me, Soulstealer. I...wait. Is that a tavern," she asks as she points to one of the nearby buildings. The Soulstealer doesn't answer, but walks towards the tavern and enters as Star follows behind him. He sits at the bar, and she pulls up a seat next to him. He sees from the corner of his eye that she is staring at him. He looks at her and she smiles. He turns away and she continues staring. He musters all his self control to be cordial toward her and says "I prefer to be alone right now." Star smiles and says, "This morning I was counting the days to my death. This afternoon, I see a new horizon and am looking at the years I have left to live. Right now, all I want is the sweet taste of fermented honey upon my lips once again - but, alas, I have no coin. You want to be alone, I want some mead. Curious how we always want what we can't have." He sighs and reluctantly motions one of the bartenders to bring the two a drink._

_She laughs and eagerly sips the pale golden liquid from her stein as she asks, "Soooooo. You're with the Militant Army then?"_

_"No."_

_Star eyes his clothing and says, "But you're a soulstealer."_

_"Yes. I was in their army - but not now."_

_"The Militant king wasn't the one who sent for my release today then?"_

_He looks at her. "No. Your ..."_

_She interrupts him, "No? Well, THAT is disappointing. I really would have thought they would come looking for me. I only served his army for five of my years. Why repay a little loyalty?"_

_He looks at the back wall behind the bar, barely paying attention to her words. He responds, "I'm sure they thought you were dead."_

_Her face turns to disappointment, then no expression. "Hmmmm...I see. Would you mind helping an orphaned militant solider understand what happened to her today then?" He turns his attention to her but before the Soulstealer can respond, Stars immediately picks up her stein and drinks all it's contents in one large gulp. She slides the stein down the bar, motions for the bartender for another round, and picks up the Soulstealer's drink and begins to sip. "So I am free because the Key Emissary did a prisoner exchange then? Me, the slave, and the child for the woman? She must have been pretty damn important, eh?"_

_The Soulstealer eyes look confused as he answers, "Prisoner exchange? No - the woman is the emissary. The Imperator wanted her for some task - her idea was to bargain you three as payment."_

_Star nearly chokes on her drink as she says heatedly, "Her idea? What in fate's name is she..." She stops talking, as if she catches herself before saying too much. She shakes her head, and says in a more collected voice, "So that bloody wizard is not the emissary as you say. The woman is. So if she is going to work for them as you say, I wonder why they held down on her knees..."_

_The Soulstealer turns his head sharply to look at her. "What did you say?"_

_"Your emissary was on her knees, held down by two guards in front of the Imperator. Like they would hold a prisoner or a slave right before punishment."_

_The Soulstealer's breath quickens. Star continues to sip her drink nonchalantly, looking him up and down from the corner of her eye. "You are bothered that they did this to her? She is your woman then?"_

_He stumbles over his words, flustered by her comment. "NO - no. She's..."_

_"Not your woman. I get it, I get it," she says interrupting him. "You two are just friends." She leans back on her seat and looks at him with a sheepish grin and says, "...who were intimate."_

_He glares at her with anger in his eyes. She is unaffected, and continues her prodding, "Relax, relax. I didn't mean *physically*, Soulstealer. Not in that way, anyways. People like us - there is only one true intimate experience above all others." She leans in close, looks deep into his eyes and she whispers, " You shared a kill with her, didn't you?" The Soulstealer is taken off guard by what she said, but instantly reflects on the night he met the Key Emissary. How they killed the witch together. He looks away from Star as she grins and says, "You don't have to answer. I know a yes when I see it. From your reaction it must have been...amazing."_

_The soulstealer has had enough. He stands up and takes two steps toward the door when Star starts hurriedly speaking, "I thought you should know that when the slave and I were brought before the Imperator today - he practically threw us and the wizard out as soon as we arrived. As we left, your emissary was still on her knees. Still. If you have any kind of feeling for her, be it friend or something more - that's the part that should worry you." The Soulstealer halts, and steps back towards the bar as Star continues," Whatever they were doing to her... by the time we left, they weren't done. But the wizard spoke the truth earlier - it was pretty clear they wanted her alive. Let's just hope she can take... a little delicious bit of pain."_

_The Soulstealer slams down his fist in anger as Star studies his body language from the corner of her eye, looking without looking. Her words distress him, but he knows Star is telling him the truth no matter how abrasive it may be. He turns towards her and says, "What else happened. What else do you know."_

_Star burbs loudly, looking away from him and focusing more on her beverage like a child fascinated with a cup. She answers, "Who the hell is Vargas?"_

_The Soulstealer is stunned again, returning to his seat. "How do you even know that name? He has nothing to do with any of this."_

_"The Imperator spoke of one of his soldiers getting killed. Something that happened when your woman escaped from them at an earlier encounter. Something about her being crucified. He told her to name the person who shot his man. That or she could repay the loss by giving the life of me or the slave. In the end, she named a man named Vargas."_

_The Soulstealer sighs, "Vargas is a soulstealer, my old partner. She named him to protect me." He starts shaking his head in disbelief, "Of anyone should could have named, why him."_

_The bartender comes up with two fresh steins of mead. Star gulps the rest of hers, slides the empty one back at the bartender before grabbing a stein in each hand. She alternates sips between the two as she answers, "She had little time to answer. Better him than you in her mind I suppose." She shakes her head for a second, then refocuses her attention to the steins in her hands and declares loudly for all to hear, "Mead is a divine gift from the gods and all I can say is that this is the best damn mead I have EVER had the privilege of partaking. Truly, a masterful brew. A toast!" A few patrons raise their drinks in the air, waiting for her words. She raises both steins in the air and yells, "Goddess bless the bees because we need more mead! Here, here!" She and the patrons roar and stomp the ground in agreement in some unspoken ceremony known only to them. With both steins still raised in the air, she pours the mead from both in her mouth at the same time, the golden liquid overspilling and running down her face and neck. She slams both empty steins into the bar and laughs uncontrollably before looking at the Soulstealer. She smiles and asks with slurred speech, "Are you ready to go talk to the slave woman now?"_

_The Soulstealer can not believe she would even make that suggestion considering the circumstances. "What? NO - I have nothing to say to her. Why would I?"_

_Star shakes her head before pointing at him and declaring, "You are a horrible liar, do you know that? HORR-I-BLE. You and I are siblings under the Great Bear. Brother and sister...of a bear. We are bear cubs! Yes, cubs of war. Brother, I know you. A woman walking around with your wife's name - disgracing her memory or suffering in her name, and you don't care? HA! LIAR!"_

_Star motions for another round, but the Soulstealer shakes his head to the bartender. He stands and says to her, "I think you've had enough."_

_Star frowns, "There is no such thing as too much ...of whatever I was drinking."_

_The Soulstealer throws a few coin to the bartender and helps Star to her feet, putting her arm around him to help her walk. "Come on, back to the wizard's fort for you," he says._

_As they slowly head toward the exit, a man enters. The Soulstealer stops for a moment when he notices the aura of the man is black. Star notices the Soulstealer's faint reaction - eyeing him, then the man. The Soulstealer starts walking them both to the exit once again when Star clumsily leans toward him and whispers, "Hold. Tell me, cub brother...what did you just see?"_

_He replies as if annoyed, "Nothing. Nothing important."_

_Star pulls away from him, almost falling back but managing to stand on her own despite her intoxication. She stumbles close to him and whispers, "It might be important to me. Tell me what you saw."_

_The Soulstealer reluctantly answers, "The man walking in has a black aura."_

_Star steps back, glaring at him with a shocked look on her face. She leans in again and whispers frantically, "Why did you not tell me you were a protector? How long have you been seeing the signs? How many here are marked with the darkness?" The Soulstealer, standing facing her with his back to the entrance, sighs and says "Star, you are drunk. I will answer all questions once we get back to the wizard's fort." Before he can lead her out, Star grabs a hold of his shoulder and leans on him as she doubles over. Her free hand grabs at her chest and she lets out a muffled cry as she grits her teeth in pain. The pain subsides and with a heavy breath she says, "I'm not that drunk. Never too drunk for a good fight." She stands back up, and quickly pushes the Soulstealer back yelling "Crouch down!" Her reaction and strength take him by surprise. He stumbles backward, trying to regain his balance when he sees an arrow slam into the nearby wall coming from his left...it's path was where he was previously standing. He quickly crouches down and feels another arrow slicing the air above him but this time coming from in front of him, again it's path was where he was previously standing. He hears Star yell, "Right one first!" He grabs his bow and an arrow from his quiver as he quickly surveys the area. He sees one man to his left and two men directly in front of him - all are armed with crossbows. The one on the right in front is reloading, has to be the one who just fired at him. The one on the direct left of him is aiming at a different target.. He aims at the man on the right and watches as his arrow shatters the man's head. The man on the left is visibly startled by the sight of his comrade dying so violently. The man pays no attention to the Soulstealer but turns to the left towards his target again - Star. She is hitting the man who fired the first arrow with a barrage of punches. The second she lands the deathblow, the dead man falls backwards and she falls along with him. The man on the left has fired his crossbow, but the arrow barely misses her. Before he can take a second shot at her, his is killed by a soulstealer arrow._

_Star stumbles to her feet, looks herself over quickly to see if she is hurt, paying special attention to where she grasped her chest in pain earlier. She turns and see's the man with the black aura is lying dead - the arrow intended for her has killed him. The Soulstealer walks up to her and she points and says, "This is what a black aura means, Soulstealer. Mala. Misfortune." He looks at the man and says, "The emissary had a black aura, but it went away." She looks at the Soulstealer and shakes her head. "That...is not good. Too much is going on here. Nothing makes sense. We should leave." The Soulstealer says, "Wait. I don't understand what just happened here. How did you know the paths of the arrows before they hit? You can see things before they happen?"_

_She shakes her head tiredly and sighs, "No, Soulstealer. I am no seer. I am of Fortuna Belli. I am a fate, a hand of Fortuna, a guide of man. We should return to the Wizard's fort - we have much to discuss."_


	8. Chapter 8:  The Renascentia

Author's notes: Sorry for such a long chapter (yeah, I spent all summer writing this - it really feels like 2 chapters together, but I wanted the story to feel like it's making progress, sooo...). As always, please excuse any grammar/spelling errors. Want to give everyone a head's up - this chapter explores an in-game mechanism (should be familiar to everyone, but I won't spoil it for you). Some parts here will be repetitive - I only went that direction to illustrate a point (promise that won't be happening very much beyond this chapter). If you are psychologically sensitive (aka easily influenced to hurt yourself), might want to skip this one. Also, this addition may sound like it's going loopy (definitely AU - going toward Courier origin story here) but I promise it will not go off the deep end! Things will make more sense as they progress next chapter...and I definitely won't pull a "everything was a dream" kind of thing at the end either (honestly hate those). What's happening to characters is actually happening - been adding time/place to kinda keep events concurrent between the split up characters and courier flashbacks to give perspective. Alot of chit chat this chapter, so you've been warned. You may or may not agree with some of the things going on with Boone - I believe his character capable to occasionally have fun and I do believe he is unforgiving about certain things. Thanks again for reading and hope you enjoy!

* * *

Act II, CHAPTER EIGHT: The Renascentia

* * *

**[Present] The Wizards Fort**

_Star sits over the body of the slave woman, cradling her in her arms. Both women are naked and covered in blood. The slave woman and her baby are dead, killed by a blade. The Soulstealer stands in doorway of the tent watching Star as she rocks the lifeless woman, gently stroking her hair. "The wizard is dead. An accident - a miscast spell caused his demise," he says. _

_"This one died from her own hand," Star speaks with a dazed, monotone to her voice. "Tragic - three lives lost all from the fear of just one. What is it about today...six souls meet at a junction and then all six die? How...unlucky." The Soulstealer watches as Star carefully lays the woman down...watches as she picks up the blood soaked blade...watches as Star grimaces in pain as she buries it deep within into her own chest. The man with the face of stone looks on...says nothing, feels nothing as he sees her mouth the words "memorare protectorii " as her body slumps to the floor and exhales her last breath. He continues to stare on as the tent fills with a brilliant light, fading the entire world to white..._

* * *

**[Memory Flashback - Courier and Gannon on the walk towards Cottonwood Cove]**

"Gannon...do you know anything about Legion conditioning?" I ask with trepidation. " What exactly do they do to a person?"

He looks at me with an expression of concern. "It's not a pleasant topic...why are you asking me this? Are you planning on staying? I thought this was an in-and-out job."

"Well, that is the plan. I have no intention on staying. I'd like to know...in case things don't work out today."

He pauses for a while before reluctantly complying. "Depends on what conditioning you're referring to. Slave conditioning ... is just brutal. They break you and give you a new purpose. End of story. The more you learn to comply, the easier things go. But if you feel you might be subjected to something like this, it would more than likely be the type of conditioning they give their soldiers. From the people I've helped who have gone through this, it is my understanding that they always start with pain - it's a core defining point for them. Doesn't necessarily mean physical either - they enjoy seeing all forms of pain be it emotional, mental, you name it. So pain is their first lesson - first they show you your definition then they show you their definition. The next lesson you'll be taught is obedience and chain of command. You will be thrown into a pack setting with a defined pecking order. You will be below the lowest level person, and they will attack you verbally and physically - never when you expect it, and it will be unrelenting. It will start with that one aggressor, but then it will slowly progress to two and eventually the entire group will be in on it. They will continue until they break you down mentally. It will be harsh and whether you want to or not, it will start molding you into them. By then you'll start thinking like them - you'll start seeing the attack before it comes. You learn to avoid the attack by either complying or countering and attacking back. Soon, you'll be initiating attacks yourself. When you start thinking like the pack, you'll be treated as part of the pack, like an equal. At that point you will be relieved to belong - but by then it's too late. You're conforming to them and not even realizing it. Within the pack, you're obeying. Outside the pack, you're taking what you want when you want. You will look in the face of pain and suffering of others and feel nothing. At that point - you'll be Legion."

I let his words sink in for a few moments. "Is it possible to not lose yourself though something like that?"

"The people who made the most progress during recovery never let themselves forget who they were before the conditioning began. You have to have strong will to take this path, though. All of them kept something close and hidden, something that couldn't be taken away - a memory, an trinket - anything to remind themselves of who they were before it all began. If they felt like they were losing themselves, they would anchor themselves using that hidden item or memory. Or at least try to." Gannon looks at me and notices the troubled look on my face. "I just want you to know that once we get to the Fort - if things go wrong, I'll help out as much as I can."

I look over at him and smirk, "How? By being a meat shield?"

He scowls, "You're making it really hard for me to care about happens to you right now."

**[Present] Fortification Hill**

The ground is cast in a scarlet hue as the light filters through the thin red material of the Legion tent. I sit inside, the door flaps drawn closed. The shadow of the bull from the outer stitched emblem stretches across me. There is no respite in this place - there is always a reminder of where I am. I cannot hide, even here. I stare at my hands that are covered in dried blood. Benny's blood. Every kill I ever made had been impersonal, at a distance with a pistol or a rifle. That was true until today. I never killed a man with a blade before, so close that I felt his warm blood splattering upon me. I heard the life sputter out of him, saw the light fade from his eyes. Half of me regrets what I did to Benny today while the other half rejoices. But I...I had no choice really. I managed to escape Mr. House's compound before it blew up and Caesar gave me Benny to kill as a reward. It was all I ever wanted - revenge after so long. And it was all I didn't want as well. Part of me wanted him to die in the worst possible way - crucified, the long slow way to go. He deserved it. But in reality, I couldn't let anyone suffer like that. Maybe I could have walked away, try and close my mind to it but it would have gnawed at me. The arena was out - he gave me no fighting chance. He would get none from me. I looked upon him all tied up and knew I wanted him to go like he tried to kill me - helplessly. I walked up to him with the machete Caesar gave me - I put up a good front, to make myself immune to what he had coming. But I stupidly listened to his words and they quickly penetrated that hard exterior. Benny was a monster I wanted dead... a monster deep down I feared. But today, the monster begged for his life...and I saw him for what he was - just a man. For a split second after his pleading, I considered helping him. Felt sorry for him. I could have given him a stealth-boy, helped him escape. But there was no place for me to go - not with a control collar on my neck. I am tethered here. Half of me wanted to treat him like I would have wanted him to treat me back then, be the bigger person. The other half knew Benny was no good - there was no lesson I could teach to change that. That's when I decided to do unto others as they would do unto me...I slit his throat.

Caesar appeared pleased that his new dog had the capacity to kill on _his_ whim. As he started his tirade about all the rewards of being in the Legion, I felt my soul draw in, my face became emotionless and without feeling, like I was slowly dying from the outside in. I barely listened to his words, but nodded like a good pup. I at least learned that from my time at the Sierra Madre. My mind danced on ways of getting out of this collar while Caesar explained how I could go no where without the four Praetorian escorts by my side. The soldier in charge of the group - Marcus Vincentius - wore my pip-boy and that somehow it and my collar are now linked. His life was tied to mine - if the life stats of the wearer of the pip-boy should drop too low for too long, my collar would blow. If I managed to kill Marcus and put the pip-boy on myself while I still wore the collar, the resulting feedback loop between the two devices would cause it to blow. Rule number 1 of being in a control collar: every fucking thing causes it to blow. For right now, the only way to get this collar off is to earn it off so I bide my time and play their little game until I figure something out.

I continue to stare at my palms in a trance, my collar pinching my neck, when, suddenly, I hear a familiar voice. "As your friend, I have to tell you...you might consider washing your hands. It smells bad, it's not hygienic, and people might think you're a little crazy."

I respond, "It's Benny's blood. Smells kinda metallic...I think I like it."

"Ok...a lot crazy. Did you know the word psychosis comes from the Greek 'pysche' which means mind/soul and '-osis' which means abnormal condition. People suffering from psychosis, the abnormal condition of your mind/soul, are often referred to as psychotic. Symptoms usually include hallucinations, delusional beliefs, personality and thought disorders, and may include unusual and bizarre behavior. People have been known to develop psychosis during bereavement. Hallucinations of lost loved ones is fairly common."

I look over and see Gannon in his long white lab coat sitting across from me. Well, that is...a hallucination of Gannon is sitting there. I look at him sadly as I answer, "Hallucinations of loved ones? If that's true, then why am I seeing you?"

He says with a smile, "You tell me...it's your mind. Maybe you've always had a thing for me but you never wanted to admit it to yourself until now."

I laugh, "Didn't you say that lovers make bad confidantes? But I guess if I had to choose between being a Legionary's wife or waking up as a man and being with you...God that just hurt my head."

Gannon chuckles, "If you woke up a man, I'd start dating women again. And is that why you always talk to me but could not manage to open up to Boone? Lovers make bad confidantes? "

"You know we were never like that. Technically."

"Technically? What do you mean technically?"

I sigh, "Long story...I'll tell it to you later. And if you don't mind...kinda don't want any reminders about him right now. He's moved on...I should too, right? ... It'll just make things easier. That's the theory anyways..."

Gannon shrugs his shoulders and says, "Fair enough...it's your hallucination, so you're the boss. And I know you didn't call me here for my dashing good looks, then I have to assume you called me here for my mind. What _do_ you want to talk about?"

"I'm trying to make sense of recent events mostly. I've never told anyone this, but a couple of months ago I remembered something from my past. A time before the incident with Benny. It was very brief and nothing too exciting - I'm just walking with a young NCR woman who goes by the name Belli. I can't make out her face, but she calls me Augusta. While I was in the Lucky 38 bunker earlier today, I had a hallucination - I saw Stella's mother. She was very upset that Stella was free which I thought was odd - she's the one who asked me to find out what happened to her in the first place. But what was also weird is that she called _me_ her daughter. Not only that, but she insisted that she was Lady Luck...and she called me Augusta. Thought that was an odd coincidence...I had actually forgotten about the flashback until she called me that. What was also odd is that she started rambling about paths and how she decides who rules New Vegas, not me. I know having a hallucination analyzing another hallucination is as crazy as it gets, but does any of this make sense to you? It sure the hell doesn't make any sense to me. Or maybe I'm looking for something that just isn't there perhaps..."

Gannon stares at me for a few moments in a state of thought. "Augusta, huh? Are you sure the woman from your memory was named Belli?"

"I'm positive. Why?"

"Well, a lot of gambler's pray to Lady luck in New Vegas, but she can do way more than help you win a hand of caravan. Lady luck is just a modern day name for Fortuna, the goddess of luck and fate. "

I rub my chin, and say, "Fortuna, huh? Now that you mention it, I do remember her saying that."

Gannon continues, "Back in ancient Rome, she was very popular and had many different cults. That may sound odd but it makes sense considering there are many different types of luck in this world. For instance, there was Fortuna Annonaria who brought the luck of the harvest. If you were a farmer, you wouldn't make an offering to Fortuna because that was too broad - you might end up getting good fortune in gambling or love or something you didn't care about. So instead you and your farming friends would get together and make an offering to Fortuna Annonaria directly because you'd specifically want a good crop. It's still Fortuna, but just a particular _aspect_ of her. She had so many cults that spanned from the luck of an individual like Fortuna Muliebris who was the luck of a woman to the good fortune of the entire state like Fortuna Romana who was the luck of Rome. But here's the interesting part...Belli is Latin for..."

"War," I say completing his sentence.

He looks at me dumbfounded, but continues his thought. "Right. War. And there was a Fortuna Belli, the fortune of war obviously. Those she smiled upon are granted victory and those she frowned upon taste defeat and died. And how exactly did you know what her name meant again?"

"Just a lucky guess... do you think Stella and Belli are actually the same person? If the old woman really is Fortuna as you say, why would she be upset about Stella being free? It makes sense if she thinks that she is somehow tied to Fortuna Belli...I suppose. I know it's a long shot, obviously there are many women serving in the NCR and I couldn't see her face from what I remember. The hair was the same though. But how could one simple person upset a 'goddess' so much? Obviously she must be of some type of importance... the only reason I can come up with is that she's not a simple person at all."

Gannon sighs, "It's possible. But I wasn't finished. I haven't gotten to the part about the name they called you."

"I know Augusta means great or venerable."

"Just another lucky guess," he asks with a raised eyebrow.

I fold my arms and say, "It's my story and I'm sticking to it, Arcade."

"If you say so. The first emperor of Roman was Gaius Julius Caesar, but the Senate awarded him the honorific Augustus or "Venerable" thereby becoming Gaius Julius Caesar _Augustus_. And there was also a Fortuna Augusta - the fortune of an emperor. She was a type of guardian spirit of the emperor really. "

I sit quietly in thought. "Yeah, but...we don't have an emperor here."

"But we do have 3 groups trying to gain power over this region. Didn't you say Lady luck said she determined who ruled New Vegas, _not_ you? Wouldn't that imply that you in fact have the means to deliver this area to one of those groups? Maybe that is the real purpose of an Augusta - to establish one ruler."

"No one person could actually do that though... but she also said I was here for punishment. That I had helped the NCR and Mr. House too much...said she gave me to the Legion...but that just just supports what you're saying, doesn't it? ... Arcade, I swear I...I am just a courier. All this talk of Fortuna and emperors - it's not me. She has the wrong person."

He studies me for a few moments before replying, "_Certus ut vos?_" (Are you sure about that?)

I hesitate, staring at him briefly before exhaling loudly and replying, "_Yes. Ego sum cursor. Nullus sum_." (I am a courier. I am nobody.)

Gannon clasps his hands together and grins, "Ah ha! I _knew_ it. A courier that just happens to be fluent in Latin. You haven't been here long enough to pick up that much of the language. How long have you known? And why did you never tell me? I have absolutely no one with whom I can practice my Latin."

"The day I had that memory flashback is the same day I met you, Arcade. In the dream Belli spoke to me in Latin. And when I met you I remember you saying _nihil novi sub sole._ ('There is nothing new under the sun.') Somehow I understood all of that. Why would a courier and a young NCR soldier ever need to know Latin?"

Gannon stares at me briefly. "Oh, I know where you're going with this. I've told you before - lots of good people used to speak Latin all the time. But I have to admit - you don't seem the type to hang around the academic groups like the Followers of the Apocalypse. It would make more sense if the two of you were somehow working for the Legion, they've been known to infiltrate NCR forces before," he replies grimly.

I frown and say, "My thoughts exactly."

We are interrupted by the opening of the tent's door flaps. A Praetorian enters. "We leave in the morning. Be ready for travel when the sun breaks. You'll need this - a gift from Kaiser." He throws down a bundle wrapped up in light colored cloth and twine. I look at it and then ask, "Where are we going?"

The Praetorian replies harshly, "I do not answer questions from dissolutes. You will see when we get there. Be ready." As the legionary leaves, I look over and see Arcade is no longer there. I sigh as I wash my hands using a bottle of water and change the bandaging on my right hand. I wish Gannon would come back. Hallucination or not, it was nice talking to a friendly face. Plus I felt like we were making progress...I guess maybe we can talk again later. Maybe. I pick up the bundle and undo the twine: inside is an Assassin suit. It's hand stitched - upon closer inspection, I see it's a very dark crimson almost-black color. I don't...I don't think I want to know why I need this. I put the suit to the side, and open my gear bag and retrieve the souvenir I took from Caesar's tent today. I had totally forgotten about it - the corrupted stealth boy that started it all...the one that turned me into a light bulb. I pull out a screwdriver and decide to take a look inside. As I start prying off the outer casing, the more I think about what happened the less I believe that whiskey would have caused that reaction. Just doesn't make sense. The case flies off and I start looking at the mass of circuit boards and wires. I remove the casing of my last backup stealth-boy so I can compare the two - and just like I thought, they are different. The bad one was definitely modified, containing parts not in the standard one. Who modifies stealth-boys? Stealth kins maybe? Could it be...that this was planted on me on purpose?

I start replacing some of the fried common components in the modified stealth-boy with parts from the good one. After a bit of tinkering, I put the newer outer casing on and hit the switch. I go invisible...it works! The distortion field is smoother than a normal stealth-boy - whoever modified this thing knew what the hell they were doing. And I'm not lit up like a light bulb this time either. I start counting down - see how long this baby will last. I hate wasting 2 stealth-boys, but there is no point hiding when you're trapped in a cage. The minutes stretch on...10 minutes pass, then 20 minutes...eventually half an hour. I'm still cloaked - the stealth-boy had not drained out of energy like a normal one. I flip it off then flip it back on to see if it works. It does - I go invisible yet again. Maybe this really is a stealth kin stealth-boy - the thing seems to work for long periods of time. I flip it back off and put it in one of my pockets. This might come in handy in temporarily eluding my 4 guard escort when necessary. Feels good to have a slight advantage here. Any advantage will do.

I pack up everything and lay down to get some rest before the journey. I wonder where they are taking me? Can't be good. I stare at the top of the tent and realize the one thing I miss the most right now is laying under the open Mojave sky at night and hearing the words, "You get some sleep, I'll take first watch." I don't know why...but Boone never slept first. Maybe he did it out of some sense of chivalry or maybe because he just didn't trust me. Either way, nobody is here to take first watch except me. Just like old times. Four Legionaries guarding me in the middle of this hell - I have a feeling I'm not getting any real sleep any time soon.

* * *

**[1 hour earlier] Outside the Wizard's Fort**

_Star and the Soulstealer leave the tavern and start heading toward the Wizard's fort. He looks up briefly at the Ivory Tower as Star says, "Makes you wonder what inadequacies the Autocrat might have to build a tower like that. It's truly the largest in the land. " He looks back at her and sees her smirking, but doesn't answer. He turns his attention towards the fort as he asks, "Who were those men and why were they trying to kill us?"_

_"No idea," she hiccups, stumbling slightly from the mead. "Probably saw my slave clothing and thought you were my owner...figured they'd make some gold off me. Three of them against one of you - all too easy. Or so they thought. Criminals are usually tempted by ease and opportunity. Speaking of which - I'm going to need some new clothes. That or I'm going to start going naked. Better that then walk around dressed like a target."_

_He ignores her banter and replies, "No - dead slaves are worth nothing. They were trying to kill you too. That much I could tell."_

_She sighs,"Let me be honest with you...fights are drawn to me like ants to honey. Always have been - it's like eating or sleeping for me. There is no rhyme or reason to it."_

_He presses on with his questions. "You said earlier that you are a fate. What is that exactly? And why did you call me a protector? The emissary told me to serve as protector of the wizards fort in Gannon's absence, is that what you mean?"_

_"Oh did she now? Protector of a fort - interesting. Sounds like she was trying to keep you preoccupied, no offense," she laughs. "I meant you are a protector of a fate. The Fati, or Fates are just people that grant luck to other people according to Fortuna's will. And Protectorii, the protectors that travel with them - usually provide protection. Some are selected based on their ability to provide insight, guidance, friendship." She pauses as she's counting on her fingers. "You know...all kinds of things. Sex, MEAD, whatever. Not all have one, but some do. If you have the ability to see the darkness of misfortune, then the logical conclusion is that you must have been serving as Augusta's protector. Only protectorii can do that."_

_The Soulstealer holds his arm out in front of Star and she stops walking. He turns to face her, "Wait...Augusta? You're talking about the emissary? You know her then?"_

_"Of course I know her. We have been friends for a long time."_

_He speaks with anger in his voice, "Then why the deception earlier? Why the games? You acted as if you did not know her!"_

_Star shrugs her shoulders and replies, "It's not about her - I do not and *still* do not know YOU. I had no idea what relationship you had with her - I assumed she was performing a task for you, nothing more. Besides, protectors always approach fates first - it's safer that way. A protector can't harm a fate, even if that fate is an enemy to the fate they are following. "_

_The Soulstealer looks at her with a blank expression. "The emissary is in the habit of helping people, but I've never seen her cast luck as you say. And I am no protector. The two of us traveled together - nothing more. "_

_Star blinks a few times before saying, "Traveled together? Interesting. Fati always lead, Protectorii always follow. So tell me...when you were with the emissary, where were YOU specifically traveling to again?" She turns her head slightly and pulls on her earlobe, "Wait...say it in my good ear. " The Soulstealer glares at her for a few moments, then curses under his breath. Both turn to continue walking toward the fort when three men tumble out of the alleyway before them. Two young hooligans in dirty white tattered robes attacking an older aristocrat in blue robes. The Soulstealer starts to intervene, but Star holds out her arm for him to stay his ground. She yawns and says "White," and they watch as the two men overtake the man in blue, beating him until he falls to the ground unconscious. They continue to observe as the two men go through his pockets and run off before starting to walk again towards the fort._

_"Is that what you fates do - predict the obvious and let old men get beaten nearly to death by criminals?"_

_"Truly, Soulstealer, your wit matches your ability to kill from afar. And to answer your questions: No and not always but today yes. And whether you want to accept it or not, you are a protector and your emissary is a fate ... that I can assure you. I cannot believe that she did not tell you."_

_"She lost her memory. She didn't even know her name was Augusta."_

_Star stops walking and stares at him, her face is distressed. She barely manages to mouth the words, "Augusta...is more of a title than a name." She looks out into the horizon as if she is looking for answers, then exhales loudly," I...I thought you were playing games with me all this time - but you really don't know anything. I am very confused now - if the militant army considered me dead and your emissary had forgotten me, then who exactly sent her to find me?"_

_"Your mother. I can give you directions to the town where she is staying. She is waiting for news of you as we speak."_

_Star gives him a confused look. "My...mother?" Her breathing becomes erratic and starts shaking her head in disbelief, as if she is saying no to someone not there. She smiles and laughs as a few tears form in her eyes. She says nervously, "An old woman with short, dark hair I suppose? Is that who called herself my mother to you?"_

_The Soulstealer tenses up, disturbed by her sudden change in behavior. He thinks to himself,"Why does she fear this old woman? If not her mother, who is she then?" He reluctantly responds to her questions, letting her hear the truth he fears she does not want to here. "Yes - she is as you describe."_

_She continues to stares at the horizon, her expression empty. It is like her will has left her. After a few moments, she looks at the Soulstealer and bows toward him saying, "Thank you for the mead and the company but I must take my leave now. Good journey." She turns away from the fort and from him, and starts walking. The Soulstealer yells after her, "Wait! Where are you going? We are not done here!"_

_"I have said too much. Way too much. It's Fortuna's will that I walk away - to go to where you are not. This path is yours alone. Forget our conversation, Soulstealer. As you said yourself - too much mead. I am little more than a drunken babbling fool," she says as she twirls her hands in the air and continues to walk away. The Soulstealer can't let the only person who knows the emissary to just walk away. And if she is terrified of this old woman, he needs to know what exactly the emissary was walked herself into. He yells louder, "I said we are not done!," but she ignores his words. He draws his bow and shoots an arrow - a warning shot that whirls past her face alarmingly close. She immediately stops walking and he yells, "I have been honest with you thus far. It's time you were honest with me. What are you not telling me, Star."_

_She turns and says angrily, "That there are worst things in this world than a Soulstealer's arrow. Far worse. From one soldier to another, walk away. No good will come of this path. You get no further warning - if you do not let me take my leave, I...will kill you. "_

_The Soulstealer stands his ground. "There are only two things I know for certain: that the emissary took your place in hell today so that you might walk free and that when I asked Fortuna for help to save her, she sent you. I swear to you, Star - even if the cost is my own life, I will not grant you leave until *I* say we are done."_

_The two stand at an impasse, staring the other down. Star finally breaks the silence, "If this is what you want, Soulstealer...then fine by me."_

_Star runs toward him with fists drawn and knocks the bow out of his hand. As she punches, he dodges her blows as he shouts, "I will not fight you!" Star keeps coming with kicks and punches - never stepping back, forever pushing forward with her attacks. The Soulstealer blocks the hits as much as he can and pushes her back. She lunges back at him, almost knocking him to the ground. "You won't fight? Good! Will make me killing you all the more easier," she shouts as her attack goes into an unrelenting, frenzied beserker-like mode. As her attacks continue to grow in speed and ferocity, he continues trying to block and dodge the assault as best he can but her blows are making it through his defense. She finally gets in very close and grabs his blade. She stabs at him but he tares and she misses - he manages to grab her knife hand, attempting to disarm her. She pulls away and he pulls her arm down. She tries to ram into him with her shoulder to try and free herself from his grasp, but he turns and she misses and tumbles forward. As she falls to the ground, he finally releases his hold on her. She lands face down and gasps loudly. The fight is over - she lay motionless on the ground for a few moments before managing to roll over onto her back and reveals the reason why her attacks have come to a halt - she landed on his blade. She looks down at the metal handle protruding from her chest. The Soulstealer kneels over her and looks distressed - it was not his intention on killing her. She grabs the handle and pulls the blade out, trembling from the pain. As she coughs up blood, she looks at the sky and says, "Fortuna, forgive me. I see the path and I will faithfully follow." She grabs the Soulstealer's hand as she mouths the words "memorare protectorii" before dying. He stared into her lifeless eyes when, suddenly, the world faded to white._

* * *

**[Courier flashback - 2 months earlier] The Strip**

Boone and I have settled into a corner of the scummiest bar on the Strip - Brimstone at the Gomorrah. I don't think either one of us really want to be here, but...wait. Why do I get the feeling that I've been here before? That's when I am hit with the pain. It's in the center of my chest. I grab at it and fall forward into the bar - I feel like the sun is burning inside of me. It is excruciating, unlike anything I have ever felt before and just when I feel like I am about to pass out from it, it finally subsides. I feel Boone's hand on my shoulder and hear a faint "Are you ok?"...but it's like he's talking to me from miles away. I slowly nod my head, wiping the tears from my eyes and try to regain my breath. I look around the room and see the two NCR soldiers dancing on stage. That's when I hear, "Wish I had a 1st Recon guy looking after me." I look over and see a female NCR soldier walking off. All of this has happened before...I've already lived this. Didn't I?

The pain is totally gone now, but somehow I feel stronger. I walk over to the table of a man dressed in fancy gambler clothing. He has three cups on the table - he's running his own game of chance and is surrounded by drunken NCR soldiers who are falling for his ridged game. Wait...how do I know he's defrauding them? I...I just do. I lean over and whisper in his ear, "I know your game. You're cheating these soldiers. I'll play nice and not tell them or the Omertas what you're doing here if you agree to just walk away." He pushes me back, telling me to fuck off. The drunk soldiers surrounding the table laugh at my expense as I swing my arms to keep from landing on my ass. I shake my head and sigh, "He was right. You really deserve what's coming to you...Pick red to win, right guys? " I knock over all the cups on the table to expose all of them contain a white stone underneath and yell, "Good luck cuz they are all white, you assholes." The soldiers instantly turn into an angry mob. The fancy gambler jumps up to run away but I pull out my pistol and aim at him - he hesitates just long enough for the soldiers to grab him. They push him to the ground and start beating him when I feel one of the Omerta henchmen grabbing me by my shoulders. He throws me and my gearbag out the front door. I'm sitting on the sidewalk dusting myself off when Boone walks up to me. "_I can't believe you snuck in a weapon."_ I frown and sneer back, "I can't believe you didn't." He shakes his head and walks toward the Lucky 38. I see a man in a long overcoat bumps into him on the way by, apologizes to Boone, and then walks away very quickly. Yeah...that was kinda suspicious. Wait. That's the guy I was looking for!

I get up and throw on my pack, motion to Boone I'll be right back so he should just wait, and I follow the guy. I see him bump into one of the Omertas henchmen heading toward the casino before darting into a nearby alley way. As I cautiously approach I hear him laughing as he reads something, then rejoicing at his good luck. After a few seconds, he walks back out and bumps straight into me. I smile and tip my hat, "You should be more careful of where you're walking." He tips his hat back and smiles, "My apologies, miss. Good evening to you," before walking off. I pat my left pocket and see our friend in the overcoat has indeed taken the present I left him - he's a pickpocket all right. Takes one to spot one I suppose. I walk down the alley way and see a balled up piece of paper - I pick it up and open it. It's a letter - after skimming a few sentences I see it's one Boone wrote his wife in the event he died. I didn't even know he carried around something like this. I stop reading it - it's not something I or anyone else was supposed to see. I try to smooth out the wrinkles before I neatly fold the letter up and place it in my pocket. I walk back to Boone and hand him the letter. "The guy in the overcoat took this off you earlier. Might want to check to see if you're missing anything else." He seems shocked I even had it. He takes it and puts it in his pocket, and says "_I hate pickpockets"_ as he checks to make sure nothing else was taken. Wow... that felt like a punch in the stomach. I look at him sadly and cough, "Yeah, same here. Even if they have a pretty face." He has a puzzled look in his eyes as I turn away and walk into the Lucky 38.

Once inside I pull out the silver pocket watch I lifted from the overcoat guy who originally lifted it from the Omerta henchman. I stare at it and say, "Boone, have you ever had a perfect moment in your life?"

"_Yeah...I've had a couple_." He hesitates before continuing. "_The first day I met Carla and the day she told me she was pregnant. I remember her being so happy during those times,"_ he says with a tone of remorse in his voice.

I look at him briefly - I feel sorry for him but I can't let him know that. He's not the type to solicit sympathy from people. I glance back down at the watch and rub my fingers over the etchings in it and say sadly, "Yeah, I had one once. It was great ...all my faults and shortcomings were laid out on the table ...it didn't matter in his eyes though. He just saw me for me. What we had in that moment was beautiful...magical. And then ...then it disappeared. Like it was ripped away from me. At least a memory is an event that happened. But this was a memory of an event that never existed for him. Can you imagine - you're in the presence of someone you care about and you have to stop yourself from sharing that moment? 'Ahhhh, you remember that one time we were here...'...but for them it never happened. I guess I could try to recreate it, but it wouldn't be the same. It's simply lost. Maybe another perfect moment will come and I'll get to keep that one."

"_Sounds like you're describing a dream_."

"A dream? It felt so real...I don't know. You're probably right. I guess it doesn't matter anyways. He's in love with someone else...it wouldn't have worked out," I sigh as I pocket the watch and flip my pip-boy radio on to hear Vera Keyes crooning. Why'd it have to be_ that_ song? "Are you missing anything else from the pickpocket," I ask. _"I'm good_, he replies. I nod my head as I pull the detonator out of my pocket. I stare sadly at the elevator doors of the Lucky 38 as I flip the protective casing and hit the switch. A loud boom echoes outside.

Boone jumps, startled by the noise. "_What the hell was that?_"

The detonator drops to the ground as I step into the elevator and reply angrily, "The asshole who took away my perfect moment. "

* * *

**[1 hour earlier] Outside the Wizard's Fort**

_Star and the Soulstealer leave the tavern and start heading toward the Wizard's fort. He looks up briefly at the Ivory Tower as Star says, "Makes you wonder what inadequacies the Autocrat might have to build a tower like that. It's truly the ..." He looks back at her to see why she's stopped talking and see's her grabbing her chest and gritting her teeth in pain. He's confused as he looks around quickly, "What in hell's name just happened?"_

_She stands before him with all playfulness gone and an angry look on her face, but no longer appearing to be in pain. "What in hell's name just happened? I should be asking you that! I have spent months of my life fighting in the Imperator's arena killing every foe they threw before me. With no luck, death, or tricks, I won every match. Every one! I have fought their worst and their best and everyday I tasted victory. But on the day I finally walk free from that hell - I am bested in a fist fight by an archer who didn't even fight back! That's what the hell just happened! I even took YOUR blade! Does that seem right to you?"_

_He yells back at her pointing in the direction of the gate, "But you were just there..."_

_She exclaims, "Right - you were there, I was there. WE were there and now we are here. And getting stabbed in the chest hurts like hell just in case you were curious about THAT part!" She walks away, her pride hurt and cursing loudly as she kicks at some nearby rocks._

_The Soulstealer shakes his head, "I saw you die, and now you live. How is that possible!"_

_"I told you - protector's can't hurt fates. Not that they won't try," she says as she sits on the ground with her knees drawn in, playing with the rocks she just kicked much like a child. She appears to be more occupied with her new playthings, but manages to carry on a conversation as she was totally focused on it. "I understand that it was Fortuna's will for me to fall on your blade today. You did not believe me earlier..no one believes until they witness her power with their own eyes. So...she required a demonstration." She stands up and walks up to him so they are facing each other, poking his chest with her finger. "And do not think for one second that you will best me again in a fight. I am the Fate of Fortuna Belli - I cast fortune for soldiers in battle. I don't understand how - I just know that I can and that I must follow her path." She points to the ground, and says, " And this...this that just happened...me dying and yet I live. That is called the Renascentia, the rebirth. Fates can cast luck onto others, but not unto themselves. But Fortuna favors the bold, Fortes fortuna adiuvat. She gives Fati the opportunity to make our own luck - by allowing us the chance to correct a mistake. If I die, even by my own hand, I will return to a previous time meridian. It is a painful process and there is no way to determine the exact meridian in time I will return to - I just know it will be a time before my death. If Fortuna grants me luck that day - it will be a time before the mistake occurred. If I'm lucky."_

_"We are reliving the same time then. Wait - I remember you grabbed your chest in pain in the tavern earlier. That is how you knew the paths of the arrows - because it happened all before for you."_

_"Yes, I relived it. And so did you, Soulstealer. You should be able to remember what happened now that I have granted it. It will be confusing at first - two sets of events occupying the same memory. But look into your own mind and you will know what I say is true. Tell me what you see."_

_He reflects on the memory, and goes over events in his mind. He remembers the motions and movements from the fight - then he remembers something different. He was fatally shot in the chest and in the side. He fell to the ground, and watches as Star fights and kills all three attackers. His body feels cold and he's about to lose consciousness when she kneels over him and says, "Don't worry. You bought me mead so I'll fix you up, protectorii." He feels her going through his pockets, and pulls out his blade. He sees a bolt is sticking out of her shoulder but she's seemingly not bothered by it - she's more focused on the sharpness of the blade, tapping her finger along it's edge. She looks at him, smiles and says, "This will hurt me far more than it will hurt you. *laughs* I really, really hate this part, " as she slams the blade into her chest to the hilt. She yanks the blade back out and collapses backward, then the room then fades to white. He manages to speak, slightly in shock by the reality of what's happened. "I was shot twice. I was dying..."_

_"And yet you live. Welcome to my world. Lucky for you, I was able to return before the fight in the tavern or we wouldn't be talking right now. Even I have to admit, that one was cutting it pretty close." She looks over at the Soulstealer and touches his cheek. "No wonder...I see signum fortunae upon you - a mark of luck. Kiss by a fate will bring good luck. That probably helped you today...and helped you with your fight with me." He stares at her - that is where the emissary kissed him. She could not have known that. No one could. He turns to the Ivory tower and another memory comes to him - a time when the emissary died. Not that long ago in fact. He reaches into his robe and pulls out the emissary's gift she sent to him by the wizard. He reaches inside the bag of gold and feels toward the bottom and pulls out a silver time piece. He stares at it with a sadness in his eyes and says, "So that is what she meant. That was her perfect moment. If she sent this...then she had no intention on seeing me again." He puts the timepiece in his pocket and shakes his head, "This...this is too much to believe."_

_"Life is a game of chance and everyone is a player. Nothing has changed - you're just awake now to that fact that a game is being played is all." She places her hand on his shoulder and says, "It was wrong of me to allow you to remember - you are not my protectorii after all. It can be an overwhelming experience, one that can cause a fragile mind to break. But if Fortuna allowed you to serve as a protector, then she believed your mind strong enough. You needed to know you're in the game... for Augusta's sake."_

_In the distance, events start replaying themselves as three men tumble out of the alleyway: two young hooligans in dirty white tattered robes attacking an older aristocrat in blue robes. This time Star smiles at the fray and says, "Blue." The Soulstealer watches as the older man takes on both men with more fervor than before...but this time instead of losing, he successfully drives off their attacks and they run away. She smiles at him and says, "And I am not in the habit of letting criminals beat up the elderly. "_

_He shakes his head - all of this is too much to believe, but he saw it with his own eyes. Does his eyes deceive? Does his mind? He feels nauseous, but continues with his questions almost not wanting to know the answers. "You said the emissary is a fate. What type of fate is she?"_

_"The Fate of Fortuna Augusta - she brings luck to kings."_

_He asks, "What luck would a king need?"_

_"All kinds. But the most obvious being considering the situation here is the acquisition of a territory. This land has three kings - that's two too many. I have no doubt Fortuna sent Augusta here to eliminate that stalemate."_

_"Then she did walk straight into a trap. She'll give this area to the Imperator then? But how did they know she was a fate..."_

_Star shakes her head, "I don't believe they know. But she did...the one who delivered her into their hands, the old woman claiming to be my mother." She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, fearing to even speak as if she would be punished for doing so. "That...that woman is Fortuna Mala - a fate that can only cast one type of luck - the bad kind. And I don't mean 'I stubbed my toe' type of bad luck, but the 'an entire village starved due to 5 straight years of famine and drought' or 'the king lost half his army when a bridge they were crossing collapsed' type of bad luck. She is the oldest, wisest, and strongest of the fates - but she is a liar, a deceiver, and a murderer. She is the one who brings the darkness...the one who punishes fates that have gone against Fortuna's will. And if Augusta is in her trap - her life is in peril."_

_"But I did not think you Fates could die."_

_"Oh we die... when Fortuna says she's done with us. But Fati can kill other Fati. That is the real reason a fate would employ a protector..." Star looks at him sadly before saying, "Protectorii can not harm a fate. But they can slow one down...to allow the Fati they're protecting time to flee. But usually in those extreme cases, the protector dies. It is an old practice, a noble sacrifice for the protector to give their life but a dishonorable one for the fate...to use a person like that. It is the reason I would never take on a protector myself. It is why I can't believe Augusta took any herself. I am convinced that it is Fortuna's will that I aid you in finding the path that leads to her freedom, but we are missing pieces...the path is not clear. Six souls met at a junction today. I'm sure that is not a coincidence. The others may reveal information that we need. I will speak with the slave woman and you should go speak to Augusta's other protector to see what he knows."_

_"The other protector?"_

_"Yes. You call him Gannon," she says with a smirk. "Let's go."_

* * *

**[Courier flashback - 2 months earlier] The Strip**

Boone and I have settled into a corner of the scummiest bar on the Strip - Brimstone at the Gomorrah. I don't think either one of us really want to be here, but the drinks are cheap and we won't get too lost trying to find our way back to the Lucky 38. I mean...no matter how tanked we get, we can at least find our way across a street. We've been here a few hours mainly observing the worst that the Strip's night life has to offer and chasing shots of whiskey with a drink called Diamond Fire - no idea what's in it, but it tastes and looks like Nuka Cola Quartz mixed with vodka in a rusted tin can. Either way, I'm sure my piss is going to be glowing white for a week after tonight...if my kidneys don't burn out from the rads that is.

Boone has been mainly staring at the back wall behind the bar. We hadn't really said much since we've been here. Might have something to do with my check up at the Old Mormon fort earlier. Julie wasn't around so I got examined by some other guy - a quack named Gannon. He gave me the brilliant diagnosis that the source of my black outs 'more than likely' have to do with my being shot in the head and there was nothing I could do about it. Nooooo - you don't say! I could have gotten the same diagnosis from a securitron and that at least would have been free. Long story short, Gannon threatened to have me forcibly removed from the premises after I demanded he give me my fifty caps back. Ok, so I might have neglected to mention that I maybe made a few threats and a comment about his mother looking so ugly that only a deathclaw would kiss her but only if it lost a bet. Honestly, I would have shot him if Boone didn't drag me out of there. Still didn't get my caps back after all that either.

I turn around on my bar stool and notice a group of drunken NCR soldiers. Two soldiers jump up on stage and start dancing with the strippers as their friends are laughing and throwing caps at them. A female soldier walks up, looks at Boone and I and says, "Wish I had a 1st Recon guy looking after me..." before grabbing a drink and walking off. I look at Boone and say, "You ever notice no one ever says the same thing about couriers? 'Wow! You have your own courier? Just imagine all the things you can have her deliver." I almost fall off my bar stool when Boone coughs loudly, "_People say that to me all the time actually_." Wait...was that...a joke? I smile and laugh, ""Ohhhh - I see what you did there. A Sniper *and* a comedian. Cute." Could have sworn I saw him crack a smile...

I look back across the room and notice some of the soldiers are circling one of the nearby tables. I look over at Boone, give him a raised eyebrow and say, "Hmmmmm...gotta check this out. I'll be right back." I walk over and see a man wearing a fancy gambler suit is running a game of chance using three cups - guy obviously doesn't know the Omertas will kick his ass into next week if they catch him, but I'm not one to tell. I watch as he places two red stones and one white stone on the table, covers each one with a cup, and starts moving the cups around quickly. "Anyone want to wager a guess where a red stone is," the fancy gambler says. "Don't you mean the white stone," one of the soldiers ask. "Nope - I meant red. You have twice the chance of guessing correctly - easy, right?," says the fancy gambler with a smirk. "Come on, you know you want to play." I slowly twirl the white glowing alcoholic liquid in my glass as I look on when one of the soldiers bumps into me by mistake and my glass goes flying...and lands on the table wetting everything. All eyes are on me as I quickly grab a handkerchief from my pocket and start dabbing dry the table and fancy gambler's clothing. He curses as he pushes me away from me, but I apologize all the same before arm punching the guy who bumped into me. Way to kill the fun, Courier. Finally someone breaks the awkward moment by shouting, "Hey, I want to play!" One of the soldiers pushes his way to the front of the table, throws down some caps and points at one of the cups. "Finally, a betting man, " says the fancy gambler as he flips over the cup and reveals the white stone. The soldier groans. The fancy gambler replaces the cup and quickly slides them around on the table. "Anyone else?" Another soldier throws caps down and points at a cup...again there is a white stone under it. The solider groans and I finally laugh, "Only idiots play this game."

Ok - I will admit I probably had too much to drink and should have kept my big mouth shut as I seemed to have pissed off *all* the NCR guys standing there. "Hey, you calling us idiots then," one of them yells. "Uh...did you play the game?" And the answer to that was yes. On second thought...that was not the best way to answer an angry mob. One younger guy who definitely was the most brilliant drunk in the room says, "Play the game ... then we'll all see who the_ real_ idiot is here." Uh...a few caps to save my ass, sure. Why not. Everyone seemed to mumble agreement to that plan...the miracles of inebriation. I throw my caps down and start waving my finger over the cups. After a few seconds I flip my hand over and open it to reveal 2 red stones in my palm. "Three cups, all white stones. That's why you idiots won't win," I smile and wink. The fancy gambler's eyes grow wide as the soldiers flip over all the cups...and reveal each one contains a white stone as I said. I laugh at the gambler, "You palm pretty good - but I'm better. Keeping the stone in your sleeve cuff - not the way to go. I've had them since I cleaned up my spilled drink." I laugh hysterically as the fancy gambler jumps up and runs out of the place with the angry soldiers following suit. Well, that is until I turned around and saw Boone standing behind me. He has this way of making me feel like a 2 year old caught with her hand in the cookie jar at times. I go all straight faced and ask, "Uh... how long have you been standing there."

"_Long enough_," he frowns.

"Ok...I admit I'm a bad liar, but I'm a damn good thief. I saw him palm the stones...so I just borrowed them. I was only having a little bit of fun..."

"_I don't care about him. Insulting a group of soldiers, drunk or not, is not smart - they could have jumped you. Just be more careful next time_." I blink a few times before saying, "Seriously?" He doesn't say anything but gives me the hard stare. After an awkward silence, I finally relent. "Ok, ok...I promise to be more careful. I'm heading outside, seeing the party has officially left the building now." We walk outside the casino into the cool night air and watch the fancy gambler running in circles dodging the soldiers who continue to chase him. He finally runs through the gates to Freeside with the soldiers still in pursuit. For some reason, I actually feel bad for the guy now. "You know - I was just trying to have a good laugh but ...they're probably going to kill that guy," I say remorsefully. "I shouldn't have done that."

Boone replies, "_You didn't tell him to cheat people. He did that on his own._ "

"Yeah...that's true. But it still feels wrong for some reason. I guess it doesn't matter. " I get the feeling that Boone knows I'm still bothered because he says, "_If it makes you feel better, they probably won't kill him. But they will teach him a lesson he won't forget. That is...if they even manage to catch him. Guy like that doesn't make it this far in life scamming people without being able to run really good._" I look at him and smile. We have a brief awkward silence, but Boone breaks it by saying, "_I didn't know you could pickpocket._" My smile fades away at the statement. I reply very seriously, "I swear to you Boone, I have never pick pocketed you. I would never do that to my friends..."

"_No, I didn't mean for you to take that as an accusation. I just ...thought it was interesting."_

_"_Interesting?"

"_Yeah. I've met plenty of thieves but never knew a successful pickpocket. Most pickpockets I've seen ended up shot - figured they weren't very good_," he replies. Wow. I didn't think anything I could do would be interesting to anybody, much less Boone. I mean...I'm just a courier. Anybody with a good set of boots, half a brain, and a map could do my job...although pickpocketing isn't a typical courier skill. I reply nervously, "Uh...thanks! Well, if you want... I could show you how to do it. I mean...I'm not trying to imply that you are interested in leading a new life in crime or anything..."

_"Sure."_

"Really? I ah...I can show you right now then. Won't take that long." I look around quickly and see a different group of NCR soldiers dancing with some prostitutes in front of the Gomorrah. Two securitrons are by the Strip gate, and I see a handful of people scattered around. I pat my pockets and I pull out a terminal access card. Perfect. I hold my arms out and say, "Ok, well the first thing you should do is pat me down - make sure I don't have anything in my pockets. So you don't think I'm playing any tricks."

"_That's ok - I trust you_," he replies.

"Rule number 1, never trust the pickpocket," I smile. "Besides, some types of pick pocketing involve psychical distraction. Alot of people have problems getting past the touching part." Boone stands there for a second - almost like he's hesitating. He finally walks up and pats my front pants pockets. I place the card in my left front pocket, and say, "Ok. Now I have to check yours real quick. Rule number 1, you know." He puts his arms up and I pat his front pants pocket. We're standing face to face when I poke at his left pocket, pulling it open a little and asking, "Something in that pocket?" He gives me a puzzled look, "_No - shouldn't be._" I shrug and say ok as I step back. I reach into my pocket for the card and say, "Ok, so the first thing you have to do is...wait. What did I do with that card? I don't have it."

"_It's in your left pocket_," he replies. I pull my left pocket out - nothing is there. I pull out my right pocket and it's empty too. I look at him with a raised eyebrow, "Boone, did you take my card?"

"_What? No._"

I smirk, "Prove it." He reaches into his pockets, and I see his expression change to surprise as he pulls the card from his left pants pocket. "_You reverse pick pocketed me?_"

I smile, "Rule number one, remember?" I laugh as he hands me the card and I proceed to show him a few different ways to pickpocket. Using familiar physical distractions like accidentally bumping into a person so the mark doesn't notice what you're doing, slightly pulling the pocket to make it a little taunt so items slide out easier, reiterating that once you go in to take the item to do it quickly and not gingerly. I demonstrate a few times on him, and then I let him practice on me. First few times didn't go so well, but he eventually got the hang on it. "Boone, you're a natural. So...who are you going to pickpocket tonight?"

His says with surprise in his voice, "_What? No one - I just wanted to know how to do it._"

"Yeah, but you gotta pickpocket someone here. Right now is the perfect time - everyone is either drunk or half asleep. It's one thing to practice on me, but you gotta do it on someone in real life - it'll give you the confidence to do it if you ever need to use it. I'll return whatever you take so don't worry about that." I can hear he's breathing is a little nervous but settles as he scans the groups of people. I smile and say, "Don't worry - you don't have to do it alone. I'll provide distraction. Just tell me who the mark is." He finally points to a guy in a long overcoat and I walk over and start chatting with him. After a few minutes, Boone walks over, and stops briefly by the guy before walking back to the front steps of the Lucky 38. I stop flirting with the mark, we say our 'good evenings,' and I head back to Boone. I ask, "How'd it go?" He looks over my shoulder and I turn my head to see what he's looking at. I thought the mark was walking up or something but I don't see anything. I turn back around and he says, "_I didn't get anything. But I heard you robbed that guy blind._" I give him a quizzical look, then reach into my pocket and pull out a silver pocket watch. I laugh as he says, "_Rule number 1, remember?_"

I smile as I rub my index finger over the intricate designs etched into the cover of the watch. It's stunning. I look over at Boone and smile, "That's a hell of a first pickpocket. " I reach out to hand him the watch and he shakes his hand that he doesn't want it. I look at it a few more moments then I sigh, "Oh well...time for her to go back." I hide the watch in the palm of my hand and turn to walk back towards the mark when I feel Boone grab my arm to stop me. "_You should keep it,_" he says. I look at him with a surprised look, then I hold the watch out for him to take it. "If anyone should keep it, it should be you. You earned it." "_But you like it. I want you to keep it. Besides, I left some caps in the guys pocket for it - more than what it's worth._" I look up at him and I'm speechless. I'm not used to people giving me anything...they usually have me running errands halfway across the Mojave and back for a pat on the back and a handful of caps. I feel my face go flush, and I turn to hide it. I take a deep breath and turn back to him. I say, "Thanks." I feel a little nervous, so I turn away and look back at the NCR soldiers dancing. I look down at my pip-boy and turn on the radio, and switch the channel around until I hear Vera Keyes singing. I look back at the soldiers and watch them for a few moments when I hear. "_Can I have this dance?_"

My body freezes and I feel butterflies in my stomach, but I force myself to turn back to Boone. I manage to stutter, "I..uh. Couriers don't dance...I'm pretty sure that's a law about that...somewhere."

"_Don't or can't?_"

"Maybe a little of both... doesn't feel familiar, like something I've done."

_"You'll pickpocket a man but you won't dance with one?" _ He extends out his hand and says, "_It's easy - just follow my lead._" I take a deep breathe as I take his hand, and he places the other on his shoulder. And then...then we starting moving in unison. A step forward, a step to the side, then close the step - over and over until the movement feels more natural and I stop thinking of my feet or the steps. _"You picked that up pretty quickly. What do you think,_" he asks. Before my brain could stop my mouth, I smile and say, "I think I don't remember being happier than I am right now." Wait...what the hell did I just say? Before I follow up my awkward statement with another one, he smiles back. "So you can smile," I say.

"_Sometimes it just takes the right person to remind you how_." Another awkward silence as my face becomes flushed again. What are you we doing? What am I thinking? No...no way a hard ass like Boone has feelings for someone like me. And no way a person like me has feelings for anybody, right? And yet I feel myself smiling as we stop dancing and he steps in even closer to me. I tremble as he releases his hold from the side of my waist and slides the back of his hand gently down the side of my cheek. He leans in and we kiss and I can't breathe. I feel my whole world dissolve away as I lean against the outer wall of the Lucky 38 and he pushes his body onto mine as we embrace. But I winch when I'm penetrated by a red hot 9mm round from a securitron SMG.

Boone and I see the pain in each others eyes before looking down to see the blood gushing from both of our chests. The round traveled through the left side of his chest and hit his lung. He's wheezing. The same round entered my right lung, but it didn't exit me like it did Boone. There is an intense burning sensation in the middle of my chest. I grab at it as the pain intensifies, feeling like it's on fire. Boone looks at me panicked as he holds me up. I grit my teeth and say, "Round ricocheted - it's in my heart... That was one a hell of a lucky shot." He lowers me to the ground, turns and draws his rifle, taking a defensive position in front of me. Blood continues to pour from my chest as I smell the gun powder from his rifle, it's loud crack echoing all around me. I see the securitron in the distance...and the overcoat man standing behind it pointing in my direction and yelling how I was a thief. Boone continues firing, disabling the robot when two others join the fray. I'm sputtering more than breathing as I watch one of the securitrons aiming at me. I barely manage to flip my pip-boy on to administer some stimpaks hoping that would somehow help when I see a beautiful light show from it's Gatling Laser. Then everything fades completely away.

* * *

**[1 hour earlier] Outside the Wizard's Fort**

_Star and the Soulstealer leave the tavern and start heading toward the Wizard's fort. He looks up briefly at the Ivory Tower as Star says, "Makes you wonder what inadequacies the Autocrat might have to build a tower like that. It's truly the ..." And then silence like before. He looks back at her and sees she's on the ground rolled up into a ball grabbing her chest. She grits her teeth as tears roll down her face, then cries out in pain. This was not like before - he kneels down and grabs her hand and she squeezes it hard. After several long moments, her grip on his hand eases and she gasps to draw in breath. She sits up and wipes the tears away - finally the pain has subsided. He looks at her with concern and asks, "Why was it worse this time?" She stares at the ground, still breathing loudly. "The pain is always the same when you travel to a time meridian. But if you travel to the same meridian twice, the pain bleeds through. You get the pain from both times added together. If you travel three times, add all three. You get the idea. It's a way to ensure Fati don't start abusing the system so to speak. I need ...just a few moments.." She focuses on catching her breath then says, "Doesn't it seem odd to you that all of us have died today? Me, you, the wizard, and the women with her children, born and unborn?"_

_"Yes, that is an odd coincidence, " he replies._

_"And what do we have if we go back to the junction when we all originally met, but this time you take me out of that path?"_

_"I would not have gone in the tavern. I am unsure what would have befell me, but I'm guessing the others would have died."_

_"Right - and I have a feeling something similar would have befallen you as well. It's so very unlucky - too unlucky if you ask me. I have the feeling, Soulstealer, that Mala is either trying to hide the path or is disposing of the players that have finished their part in one of her schemes - it wouldn't be the first time. But I just have this bad feeling - I'm not supposed to be here right now."_

_The Soulstealer reaches out his hand to help her up. "No time to start thinking like that. Come - I'll take care of the wizard, you stop the woman." Star gets to her feet and they start running towards the fort. She stops when she gets by one of the alley's and sees the two young men wearing dirty white robes standing idly. She walks up and asks them, "What smells like a horse's ass and cries like a girl?" Before they can react, she punches one in the arm and then the other in the leg, instantly breaking each man's limb. Both men cry out in pain as she kisses both fists and says, "Right answer!" She turns toward the Soulstealer, shrugs her shoulders, then returns to running towards the fort._

**[A few moments later at The Wizard's Fort - Gannon's Tent]**

_The Soulstealer enter the wizard's private tent. He's working at a table covered with spell books and alchemist equipment. He looks up and is startled to see him standing there. He didn't really expect Star to bring the Soulstealer back - not that he was sure of what to even say to him. "Oh, you're back. Good. The woman and child are settled in and resting now. Did Star come back?"_

_"Whatever you are working on, you need to stop right now and back away. You're in danger." The wizard gives him a curious look but complies. "I was merely working on a new potion. It's completely inert, I assure you...I... Wait." He picks up one of the bottles of liquid and looks at it closer. He wipes some dust off the label and his eyes get big. He turns to look at the Soulstealer. "My word...I take that back. I picked up the wrong compound. Had I added this, it would have had a most deadly result indeed. I misread the label." He very carefully places the bottle back on a nearby shelf. "How...how did you know?"_

_Before he can answer, Star walks in and speaks, "I just checked her tent - she's safe for the moment," she says slightly out of breathe. She looks over at the wizard and says, "And I see the buffoon hasn't managed to blow himself up yet. That is a good thing, I suppose." The wizards frowns at her as he sips on his beverage._

_She turns to the Soulstealer and says, "I'm going to question the woman now...it would be best if you left me alone with her for the night." Gannon nearly chokes on his drink at hearing her statement. He shakes his head, "Oh no! I don't feel that is a good idea. From your words earlier, I don't trust you not to hurt her."_

_"Hurt her?" she asks with a raised eyebrow. "You think an Imperator slave will respond to pain?" Star laughs, "You really know so little about the women of the Imperium. You don't think they experience pain on a everyday basis? Pain is like - breathing. But no matter how much they try to break you, change you - there are things they can not change. A woman is still a woman. All women have needs...and certain needs no Imperator male can satisfy. To be held gently in another's arms, a soft caress, a passionate kiss. There is only one place a woman will find that in the Imperator realm..."_

_"With another woman, " the Soulstealer says finishing her sentence. Star smiles, "It is more the rule than the exception."_

_"And if she doesn't comply? What then? You plan on taking on the other Imperial tradition and rape her," the wizards asks very seriously. Star glares at him for a moment. She walks up to him and says, "Why do you insist on antagonizing me so? You know when I grow tired of it, I will kill you for it." The Soulstealer's face is rigid and emotionless as he says, "I trust she will not harm her, Gannon. Star, come back when you're found out something." She stares at he wizard a moment longer before exiting the tent._

_The wizard replies, "The slave woman and child are invited to stay as long as they wish, but THAT woman is not. She is not right in the head. She's a danger to everyone here. You know what I say is true."_

_"I am not planning on staying here long. When I leave, I give you my word I will take her with me. It's the least I can do to repay you for your unfortunate role in all of this. But first, I need answers. I need to know what happened in the Imperium - I need to know what went wrong," the Soulstealer asks sternly._

_"What went wrong? Everything," the Wizard says sadly. "Things went well until she asked for the women as payment. She made an error - said she knew Star was in the arena. The Imperator figured out she was the one who stole from his slave camp after that."_

_"He let you leave with them all. Why?"_

_"She said she owed me a favor and that I had a vendetta against the two women. I don't think he believed that, but he gave them to me anyways. He clearly was more interested in gaining the emissary's allegiance, even if that meant earning some disfavor from those within his own ranks. Threatened to crucify me if I came back. "_

_"Did they hurt her?"_

_The wizard replies nervously, "If they did, it happened after we left. I...I thought I heard her cries as we were escorted out, but I am unsure. "_

_The Soulstealer did not want to hear that. He breathes heavily, but continues with his questions. "Did you see anything unusual - out of place? An old woman with dark hair maybe or a darkness around someone?"_

_The wizard blinks at him, giving him an expression like he is crazy. "Um...no."_

_The Soulstealer frowns, then pauses to think. After a few moments, he asks, "What did she talk about on the way there?"_

_"Asked me a lot of questions about the Imperium. Life, conditioning, etc."_

_"Conditioning?"_

_The wizard has a sad expression on his face. "Yes. Imperial conditioning...just in case things went wrong. And they always seem to go wrong when the Imperium is involved."_

_"Was there anything else?"_

_The wizard looks nervous. "No...well. Other things were discussed, but was done so in confidence."_

_The Soulstealer sounds agitated. "Meaning you won't tell me."_

_"I can't. But it's not...it was more of a personal nature. Nothing worth mentioning, nothing that would help you. You know...idle woman chatter."_

_"Her life is in danger right now - I need to know everything, even it doesn't seem important. It might be."_

_The wizard sighs. "She talked extensively about a person she likes."_

_The Soulstealer is taken by surprise. "Wait, what? Who? What did she say?"_

_"She'll kill me if I told you."_

_"I'll kill you if you don't."_

_"Alright, alright - well...she said he's kinda quiet, a good man from what she could tell. But she thinks she doesn't really exist in his mind. Not in *that* way anyways. So they're just friends."_

_He exhales loudly and asks, "What else."_

_"Again, she said she wasn't planning on staying but she definitely thought it was a possibility it could happen. It didn't matter to her though - she felt like her old life was dead to her now. She didn't think she would ever see him again, that he would be gone out of her life forever. There was nothing for her to come back to really - that there would be no loss to anyone if she had to stay. She was pretty heart broken if truth be told...she was not herself. I tried to cheer her up as best I could."_

_The Soulstealer stares sadly at the table full of alchemy equipment. He looks like his thoughts are miles away. "That is why she stayed. This...this is all my fault. I can't let her stay in there...I have to get her out, Gannon."_

_Gannon smiles, "Well, it's good to see she does exist to him after all." The wizard takes another sip of his drink and says, "Do you have a plan? Going straight in would be suicide."_

_The Soulstealer starts walking toward the tent exit and replies, "I'm still working on it."_

_The wizard yells behind him, "Before you go, there is the issue of Vargas. I believe his life is in danger - he should be warned. "_

_The Soulstealer looks back at the wizard. Vargas - a man he once called friend. A true friend would have helped him track down the men who took his wife that night and not gain joy from the fact she went missing. And now the tables have turned and this time the Imperium is coming for him. Warn him? Why should he? Sounds almost like...fate. He turns his back to Gannon without saying a word and walks out._

**[The Wizard's Fort - Femina's Tent]**

_The woman sat on some floor bedding in her tent as her baby sleeps nearby. Her arms were wrapped around herself with knees drawn in as if she were cold and she rocks back and forth nervously. She stared at the tent flap, and was slightly startled when it finally opened. A woman enters - she wears the same type of clothing bearing a red x. Her skin looks smooth overall with the occasional scrape or healed over scar. Her fair colored hair drops in ringlets around her face. She stares at the young nervous mother as she stops rocking. "Femina," she finally says. The woman looks at the female gladiator standing confident and strong before her. The mother finally replies, "Quomodo serviam te? (How can I serve you?)" Star undoes her braided belt and slips off the sleeves of her slave rags, letting it fall to the ground. Star walks slowly walks over to the woman's bedding and kneels down next to her. She brushes the woman's cheek gently with her hand as she says, "No, Femina. Quomodo serviam te?" The woman touches Star's hand, holding it to her face briefly before pulling it down and lightly kissing her palm. Star brushes the slaves hair back behind her ear and looks deep in her eyes. She sees her whole body is trembling - Star's expression turns to that of concern. Star moves behind the woman, wraps her arms around her and pulls her close. The woman weeps and nestles her head against Star's chest as Star strokes her hair to comfort her. "Why do you cry, " Star asks as she gently pushes her head back and wipes the tears from her face._

_"Because this is a dream I can not bare to wake up from."_

_"It is a dream...a dream come true. Waking will not end this, but merely extend it's life. It is true that we are free, Femina. Finally."_

_"No...there is no true freedom for me. It is only temporary. They will come in the night - take me like they did before. They will take me back and he will punish me."_

_"You are wrong. You are safe here. We are far from the Imperator's grasp. Far from...him. We are in the kingdom of the Autocrat. They will not..."_

_The woman pulls away from Star and yells, "You know not what you say! I was far from their grasp before. And still they came. Still they took me!"_

_Star looks sorrowfully upon the woman whose eyes are filled with pain, anger, fear. The woman clenches her fists and turns her head towards the tent opening briefly then back to Star. "Oh, is that your solution then? You want to return, Femina?" The woman stares at her blankly but does not answer. Star continues, " You wish to go back to Lanius then. To being berated and beaten for the slightest misstep? To never doing what you want, when you want? You really think they will take you back with open arms? That you'll get a pat on the head for being so obedient? You think you're some how different that they won't crucify you like they did the others? Everyone knows it's easier to discard a corrupted slave than to re-purpose them...even if that slave is with child of a Legate!"_

_The woman shakes her head in disagreement and pleads, "I have not been gone that long. It will not be as you say - they will take me back. If I do not go, they will find me and kill me for certain. But I have to go now. There is no other option." Star looks at the woman in disbelief. "You can not possibly believe that, Femina. You are nothing to them. Nothing to Lanius." The woman cries, "That is not true! He himself told me that should I ever leave his side, he would hunt me down."_

_"You are one of fifty or more women he owned! He probably told that to every one of them..."_

_"No! He did not. I swear he did not - I asked many of them. He did not care for them as he did for me."_

_"You think threatening to kill you somehow means he cares for you?"_

_"No. He told me he loved me. He would make me his wife."_

_Star stutters, "He...loved you? He said that to you?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Do you love him?"_

_"I...", the woman pauses._

_"You don't love him. But you fear him."_

_The woman turns her head away and quietly cries, "If I do not return, he will find me and kill my children. I cannot let them suffer for my sins. I care not what happens to me."_

_"If you take them back - they will suffer regardless."_

_"I don't know what to do...I." The woman cries harder as she covers her ears and begins to rock again._

_Star grabs the woman by her arm and yanks her to her. The woman whelps as Star yells in her face, "Femina, I release you from my vow. I will not harm you - you may leave . Go on! Walk to your death - you'll have no intervention from me. But you'll walk it alone. Regardless of your decision, the fate of your child here is now mine. I will give him to another to be raised - a mother who is strong and doesn't cower and weep. He will never know your love. If you decide to stay, you will never speak to him or tell him who you really are. If you do, I swear on my last breath *I* will kill him myself." She pushes the woman and she lands on her back on the bedding. Star stands up and starts walking toward the toddler._

_"No! You can't," the woman protests._

_Star yells, "It is already decided! Parere!(Obey!)"_

_The woman gasps and starts breathing erratically. As Star closes in on the sleeping toddler, she feels a sharp blow to her back. She stumbles forward, and turns to a another blow but this time to the face, knocking Star to the ground. The woman stands over Star, staring angrily, and shouts, "You will not take him! I am his mother, not another!" As Star lays on the ground, she wipes the blood from her mouth and laughs, "Finally - you found the part of you that will fight for something. Good!"_

_The anger in the woman turns to confusion as she watches Star stand back up and motion with open palms like she is done fighting. The woman is breathing heavily, "You...threaten me, then laugh and mock me when I fight you. I may not be the fighter you are..." Star smiles, "Femina, I am not here to hurt you. I am here to help you. And I am fighting - not against you, but for you. And not with fists. I helping you fight your Imperator half - that can not be done with blows. Our journey here you were a picked flower - delicate and beautiful but with a soul that was withering and dying. A few moments ago you were the lost dog searching for her old master. And then you found the fire within you - the drive to fight me regardless of the consequence. That is who you are - the side that needs to come out. So tell me - who are you now? What is the name of the virulent woman standing strong before me?"_

_The woman lowers her fists as looks at Star in disbelief. She opens her mouth to speak but Star interrupts her. "I need the name you know you are. The name given by those who loved you, not the name the monsters gave you. Tell me." The woman is nervous. She starts breathing heavily again and her body shakes, but after a few moments she finally manages to speak as tears slide down her face, "I...I am Fira. Fira Ignis." Star grabs the woman's shoulder and says, "I am honored to finally meet you, Fira Ignis."_

_Fira, still shaking and trying to steady her breathing asks, "What...what of my child then?"_

_"The only interest I had was in protecting your child. He is still yours, Fira."_

_"The soulstealer will kill me for bearing his wife's name."_

_"No - he will not, Fira. He was sad when he learned his wife did not live, but he bears no ill will towards you. I can guarantee that. Tell me why they gave you her name."_

_"Lanius...he didn't want the woman so much. He wanted the child. He paid a great deal for them to have them. When she died by a soulstealer's arrow that night - the guards became aggressive and were arguing loudly amongst themselves. They feared Lanius would kill them for there incompetence...and they were right. When the guards started becoming violent, we all feared for our lives. One of the women in the crowd shouted for them to pick another woman in her place. The guards spoke quietly amongst themselves then, they rounded up all of us that were with child. They pulled me out of the group, saying I was the prettiest, and...", she pauses as her eyes tear up again and her whole body shakes. "And then they made believe I was her that night. They made me believe that Fira had died, and that Carla had lived."_

_"Why did he want the child," Star asks herself. "It will be too much to ask her now...her mind too fragile." She looks upon Fira with no emotion on her face but with a deep sadness in her heart. She places her hand upon Fira's shoulder and says, "I know the evils the soldiers of the Imperium are capable of all too well myself. I am sorry you had to go through that, Fira. If I could take that away, I would. No one deserved to go through that." Fira grasps her hand, squeezing it and nodding as she wipes the tears from her face. After giving her a moment to gain her composure, Star asks, "One last question, Fira. You said a woman shouted to choose another. Can you tell me of her?"_

_"She was an old woman with black hair. I...I can't remember her face and I didn't know her name. I never saw her again past that night." Star's expression turns grim as she says to herself, "No, no, no! Why is Mala interfering?. Is this part of this path or something else? No one can lay a path out that far in advance, not even her. Unless...how much power has Fortuna granted her?" She redirects her attention to the woman and says, ""Fira, I must take leave of this place for a few days. I promise I will return. I would suggest you take your stay here, but you are your own woman now. You do as you wish, but I need to know - what are you going to do?"_

_"I ...don't know."_

_"Are you going back?"_

_She pauses and shakes her head. "No...I can never go back."_

_"Good. I'm glad you understand that. They would take your child and you would die if you did. That is no deception or speculation, Fira. I have seen it happen with my own eyes. But not with a slave, but with an officer's wife. If they did that to a person of higher stature, what do you think they would do with someone like us?"_

_Fira nods her head and says, "I...I believe you, Diana."_

_Star pauses and holds her breathe, "Wha...what did you just call me?"_

_"Diana. We knew not your name, but that is what you were known as amongst the slaves. You are the gladiator no one could beat. And a woman. We all knew you. No one decides who they will meet in the arena. The slaves you fought - you killed them quickly and mercifully so they did not suffer needlessly. But Imperator soldiers - you toyed with them, drug their deaths out so it was painful and slow. Humiliating. Every kill you made was met with boos. But in the hearts of every woman there, we cheered. We called you Diana after the goddess of the hunt. You gave us hope. And you're trying to help me now...to give me hope even now."_

_Star is stunned. "No...you must be mistaken. No one thought of me in that way...I was hated."_

_"No, that is not true. After you would not fall in the arena, they say that Imperator was furious and told the guards to stop bringing you meals. A group of us secretly saved part of our rations to make you a daily offering, so you may survive. That is why your food was brought at awkward times even at night towards your last days there. So you may live. We all loved you, Diana. You are our patroness. Your story will live on for generations."_

_"I...", Star starts to speak but she can't find the words. She looks away and rubs her forehead, a single tear slides down her face. "Fira...I. It is a disgrace to Diana to call me by her name. You will save me from more misfortune by not using it. I was sent to that arena by the gods as punishment. I was sent there to die."_

_"Why would they punish you?"_

_"Because...I put my needs before their will. And hundreds of innocents died because of it."_

_Fira persists, "I don't believe you could have done that."_

_"There is nothing to believe. It happened, and I'm continuing to pay the price for my sins."_

_"Surely they have forgiven you. You made it out of the arena." She places her hand on Star's chest. "Your heart still beats and you still draw breathe."_

_Star clasps and squeezes Fira's hand briefly before releasing it. She stares at the ground in a daze a she says, "Men came and tried to kill me today when I went to get the soulstealer. One man marked in darkness...imbued with the power to succeed in that task. They have not forgiven me."_

_Fira leans up and kisses Star softly on the lips. "I am glad they did not succeed then." Star stares at her lips with a sadness in her eyes. She reaches into the bedding and pulls out a blade, placing it in Fira's hand. "Fira, ...the slaves envied you. They were jealous of your beauty, jealous that you were allowed to keep your child while the others had theirs taken away to be raised by the priestesses. Everyone knew you - even I, the monster they kept caged. I dreamt of meeting you one day. But I never believed it would happen." A tear slides down Stars face as she says, "I need to know you will not harm yourself or your child in my absence. It would hurt me gravely if you did." Fira stares at the blade, then hands it back to Star and wipes the tear from the gladiator's face, "You have my word." Star smiles as she leans in and kisses her back deeply as Fira slips off the sleeves of her clothing._

* * *

**[The next morning - Courier] Traveling within Legion Territory**

Last night I dreamed all of this was a nightmare. Then I woke up expecting to see my clear blue Mojave sky but when I saw it was blocked by the sanguine fabric of my tent, I knew the nightmare was still all too real. I reluctantly changed into the crimson assassin's suit and kept the legion face wrap on. A new me deserves a new wardrobe I suppose...guess I'm the official poster girl for the Legion now. We've been walking east of Fortification Hill for a while - never been this deep into Legion territory before. Or at least, I don't remember. Still no idea where we're going - the terrain looks all the same: more desert and rocky outcroppings. There are two Praetorians walking ahead of me - one to my right, the other to my left. Two walk behind me in the same position, kind of forming a box pattern with me in the middle. I'm not sure if they are protecting me or making sure I feel trapped. I suppose a little of both. The one in charge, Marcus Vincentius, walks behind me to my right. He looks to be in his late 30s, has short dark hair, and has that seasoned-killer-don't-fuck-with-me look going on. He walks just out of my sight, but I know he's there because I can hear my pip-boy beeping on his wrist. The man walking directly in front of him is named Falx and the one on the left of him is Scipio. Both of them I think are similar in rank and age, early 30s. Falx has olive colored skin and light brown colored hair - he looks like he might have been a Great Khan at one time. Scipio has fairer skin also with light brown hair, but his is cut in a mohawk. Some of his mannerisms remind me of the fiends I have encountered. The last Praetorian that walks behind me to my left - the asshole who entered my tent yesterday - his name is Lunaris. I am taking it that he is the lowest ranking guy here if he's bringing me my clothes. He is younger than the rest, looks to be mid 20s and has gold hair. Thinking he might have been born and raised in the Legion. I say that because Falx and Scipio have that look of men who walk a path because they have no choice, men who seem to dwell on their past lives before the Legion. They know all too well what most people don't realize - that a soldier in the Legion is little more than a slave with armor and a spear. Legionaries would have you believe otherwise, but no man in the Legion is brave enough to approach chain of command and ask to leave Caesar's army. If they did, they'd learn all to quickly that the Legion won't let them just walk away. Lunaris, on the other hand, walks through life like a narcissist making love to himself while looking in a mirror. He definitely was brainwashed early - this is the only life he's ever known and you can tell he loves it, lives for it. As for Marcus Vincentius - nothing to say about him except that I know not to cross the man. He's in charge of this quartet for a reason - not sure having to watch me is an honor or a punishment. Leaning toward a little bit of both.

I wonder how much further we have to go. These guys hadn't said a word since we left so it's hard to gauge our progress. Figure they are as thrilled to be with me as much as I am with them. As we continue to march forward, I hear the old woman's voice whispering in my ear, "How gracious of Caesar to provide you with such a lovely gift, an Assassin's suit. If anyone could make good use of this, it is you, Augusta." I turn around but she is not there. Lunaris snarls at me - I glance over him like he's not there. I suppose the voices in my head are getting worse - first Gannon yesterday and now her today - truly, I am losing my mind here ever so slowly. A pinching collar doesn't help matters either.

She speaks again, "And don't forget your other gift. The Legion gave to you in a day what Mr. House could not provide after weeks of promises and what you could not give yourself after months of searching - they gave you Benny. You know deep down you enjoyed seeing him die yesterday. Imagine what other satisfactions and indulgences you will gain from your time here?"

I really didn't want to have a conversation out loud with a woman who's not here for these guys to hear, so I whisper,"Satisfactions and indulgences? Nothing can compare to their first gift to me - a death collar around my neck. Or what about these four that travel with me now - I'm sure they are here to keep me in line more than for my own personal protection. Truly, Caesar's generosity knows no bounds."

"And everyone knows the worth of a vow made by a thief and a liar. You brought this situation upon yourself - you came to pull a fast one on Caesar, and he ended up having the last laugh. Your heart may be torn now, but know your old life is over and your new life has begun. The sooner you accept that, the easier things will be."

"New Life? You said I would be free once I relearned who I am. Learned my real purpose."

"You will be free - free from this blinded path you walk. You will be whole again - a true Augusta. Not an simpleton running errands with a bad case of amare protectorii but standing at the right hand of Caesar himself. The men of the Legion will fall to their knees in your presence and follow your every command. All of New Vegas will - everyone will fear you in their hearts. Nipton is nothing compared to what you will bring. "

Amare protectorii - to love a protectorii... a protector... Boone? And what the Legion did to Nipton...how could she even suggest me capable of that? "You are wrong. I will be free...free of all this. I am not this Augusta you keep calling me. And I will never succumb to the Legion way of life, no matter what you say. "

"What do you have waiting for you outside this realm? Hmmmmm? A couple of empty rooms scattered around the Mojave? A robot dog in need of a brain and a flying soccer ball? You have no friends - just a long list of people who enjoyed putting your life on the line for their own selfish reasons and for what? Little to no pay and feigned appreciation? There is no loyalty to you or they would be here for you now. And they don't respect you - you were just a means to an end. They treated you like a gullible servant. After all you have done for them, all the blood you lost - not one of them will come to your aid. They should be made to pay for their disloyalty, their treachery and deceit, for taking advantage of your good nature. They used you, Augusta. You are nothing to them. " I stare at the ground as her words sink in. She isn't right...no. My only friend is Arcade but I know he won't come. I helped those people for my own selfish reasons...at least, I told myself that. Were they just using me? She can't be right...but she sounds right. I call hallucinations my friends now and my heart aches as emptiness fills me...it's all I have left now. I mistakenly say out loud, "I really hate you."

Falx and Scipio turn to look at me...all eyes are on me in fact. I hear Lunaris snarl, "You have something to say, profligate?"

Fuck. I need a four-man Legionary beat down today like I need another collar around my neck. I grow tired of his insulting attitude so I reply, "I speak with my gods - not you, femina." Yeah, wrong answer as the next thing I feel is a punch to the back of the head. I stumble forward and fall flat on the ground. Goddamn that hurt. Falx and Scipio grab me roughly by the arms and lift me to my feet. But they weren't trying to help me. They're holding me, and Lunaris punches me in the stomach...but I don't feel anything. What is this suit made of? When Lunaris sees his blow had no affect, he punches me in the face. They let go of my arms and push me down so I fall down to my knees.

Lunaris stands over me and yells, "You will learn your place, woman!" When the pain in my jaw eases up a little, I look up at him and laugh, "And who will teach me? You? A Praetorian that hits like a bitch?" Lunaris, even more enraged, steps in to strike again when we hear Marcus yell, "THAT IS ENOUGH!" He points to Lunaris to take position away from me and he reluctantly complies. Marcus walks over and extends his hand to me, as if to help me up. I stare at him for a second before getting to my feet _without_ his help. He steps up to me, snatches my facewrap down and I give him the go-to-hell stare. But the action is brief - he runs his hand across my busted lip then releases my facewrap just as quick. He grabs me by my shoulder, spins me around and pushes my head down slightly. I feel him run his fingers over my scalp and before I can react, he releases my head and spins me around again. I was baffled by his actions until I realized that Marcus was checking me out to see how badly I had been injured.

And then something I didn't think would happen...happened. Marcus walked over to Lunaris and all out punches him in the face, and then the stomach. He falls to the ground moaning and grabbing his abdomen. He looks up at Marcus with a confused look. Marcus looks at him and the other two and says, "No one is to touch her in anyway."

Lunaris protests, "You heard what she said to me! I was well within my right to punish her!" Marcus looks over at Falx and Scipio and says, "Do you understand my orders?" Both men acknowledge that they do. "Good - He does not understand. Explain it to him." Marcus takes position behind me and I watch as the two Praetorians punch and kick Lunaris unmercifully. My skin crawls as I hear his yells, as he begs for their mercy. That only causes them to hit harder. The beating goes on for a full minute before they finally stop...but it felt like an eternity to watch every blow, to see his face slowly turn red from his own blood. I look at Lunaris as he tries to stop himself from crying as he sits in a pool of his own urine - a painful, humiliating lesson. I can't help but think that Gannon was right - first they will show you pain, your definition followed by their definition. I hear Fortuna whisper in my ear, "You feel sorry for him, don't you? How soon you forgot his attack on you - would have done worse to you had the other three not been here. Maybe beat you until your bones broke, then rape and kill you in a private setting. They showed him as much mercy as he would have shown you -_ don't forget that_. He brought this on himself - he was given simple orders and yet, he could not obey them. Now, whenever he sees you he will remember this day and will fear to go anywhere near you. So will they all - you are more than just a simple courier now. You _are_ the Legion - it's deliverer. Even now you are approaching your first true test as an Augusta. These men are taking you to see Lanius. And if you don't carry yourself like you are the total embodiment of Caesar, what just happened to this young scrap is nothing compared to what that butcher will do to you."

Every hour I tell myself things can not possibly get worse, and then I learn the hard way that they can. I feel like I can't breathe after hearing Fortuna's words now. Lanius? I just released his slave - the one who carries his child...a slave that everyone knew. And now I have to face this man? She had to be important for a reason, right? Was she important to him? God, I hope not. Marcus starts barking orders behind me...I hear the words but my mind won't process them. I see Falx checking out the local flora, picking leaves form a Coyote tobacco plant and Scipio handing Lunaris healing powder so he may tend his injuries. My mind returns to focus when I hear Marcus say, "We leave within the hour. Is that sufficient time for you to finish talking with your gods?" This guy is being nice to me in Legion standards, believe that. But why? I turn to face Marcus - he has a cold icy stare that pierces me...just like another killer I know. I glance at my pip-boy on his arm. Maybe he enjoys holding my life on his wrist. I look him in the eye and reply, "Yes, an hour will suffice." He stares at me briefly after I answer before walking away.

My heart drops when I hear the old woman say, "I think your new protector is fond of you...in that way a man grows fond of a woman." I glance back briefly at Marcus and he's looking straight through me again. What...the...fuck? You got to be kidding me...

* * *

**[The next morning ] Old Mormon Fort**

The sun is rising now and I've been up all night... just like old times back in Novac. But this wasn't by choice really. Can't sleep...not after everything that has happened...everything I caused. I'm sitting at a table close by the fort entrance, and I see Stella walking up. She's lost her slave rags and is wearing leather armor - I don't even want to know how she got that. She takes a quick detour into one of the tents. I hear some yells, and then she walks back out dragging Gannon along with her. He struggles to put his glasses on and curses while she escorts him by the back of his lab coat collar. They make their way up to me and take a seat.

Stella says, "The woman's name is Fira Ignis. I know this sounds crazy, but she told me that Lanius was planning on marrying her. Considering the unsavory position he put her in, I believe he may have confided some sensitive information to her. She didn't say anything specific, but I believe she may know information that could be damaging to the Legion tactically. She fears for her life right now, and I believe she has good reason for that. I have convinced her not to do anything drastic...for the moment. I feel she should be kept hidden for her own safety."

"Why not take her to McCarran," asks Gannon.

Stella shakes her head. "Frumentarii are everywhere around here, but even radroaches have standards. The Strip and McCarran are obvious places they would infiltrate. Freeside is not. I would recommend her staying here, but not out in the open with the rest of the population. Someplace secluded, maybe in the doctor's quarters."

Gannon replies, "I'm sure Julie would have no problem with that...as long as we're talking about a temporary basis. We're going to need a more permanent solution."

"Agreed. But one problem at a time. What are we going to do about the courier situation?" Stella stares dead at me. Before I can reply, she says "We should assume that she's working for them now, willingly or not. And I guarantee that if we travel directly to the Fort, she'll be gone by the time we arrive."

Gannon says, "So the real question is where is Caesar going to send her first?"

Stella shakes her head again. "No. The places Caesar will send her are obvious, but if I know her - catching her at those places is going to be difficult. She won't take direct routes - she could be in and out and we'd totally miss her. The real question is what are her traveling habits - I'm sure she has supply caches spread about. I'm thinking she'll hit those first. You spent the most time with her." She looks back at me and asks, "Where do _you_ think she'll head to first?"

"_Hard to say. Good Springs maybe. Her travel patterns are pretty erratic. Never knew where we'd end up next."_

Stella rubs her brow and sighs. "I was afraid you'd say that."

Gannon says, "Let's not forget about Vargas. Someone should warn him..."

I interrupt him. _ "Not my problem_."

"You're serious? The Legion may kill him."

_"The Legion would be doing me a favor then._"

"And you think Courier could live with herself if that happened? She lied to protect you. She brought this on him." Goddamn it. I really should have let her put a cap in his ass all those months ago.

Stella has been quietly listening, but jumps back in. "She lied to protect you...it's always back to you with her, isn't it? I think I've been looking at this all wrong. When you and the Courier traveled together, did you two ever get separated?"

_"Yeah...happened a couple of times."_

"And If you couldn't find each other, where did you two meet back up again?"

_"Back at Novac._"

Stella says, "Interesting. I actually needed to go to Novac. I have an adviser there...oldest living person in town. They are a kind of loner but they see and hear everything. They have advised me on a number of issues in the past. I think they can help us."

She couldn't mean..._"I hate to break it to you, but she's dead."_

"The adviser is a he, not a she." She pauses to think briefly before saying, " Where is Vargas? Is he also in Novac?"

_"Yeah."_

Stella jumps up and says, "Well then...three people with three reasons to go to the same place. Sounds like a junction to me. Novac it is. "

Gannon glares at both of us and shouts, "Is everybody at this table insane except me? You're randomly picking a spot - this isn't a game of roulette we're talking about here."

"If I'm lucky, I'll find my adviser. If you're lucky, you'll get to Vargas in time to warn him. And if the courier is lucky, she'll get there in time to see him one last time."

Gannon protests, "Wait - I didn't say I was going. Why can't one of you warn him? You're going there anyways."

I stand up, grab my gear, and start heading out. _"Like I said - not my problem."_

Stella shrugs her shoulders and says, "And I might get confused and rape him...seeing you said I'm a rapist last night."

"But I have responsibilities here, I can't possibly..."

Stella replies doing a King's impression, "_Now is not the time to be a pussy. Time to earn that combat pay, son._"

Gannon grumbles as he heads back to his tent, "FINE - but give me a few minutes to set up arrangements with Julie and grab a few things. "

As I wait, I pull the silver pocket watch out and look at the engravings. Time is not your enemy. Think, don't react, you need a plan of action - or you will die she said. Hard to do when I can't keep my mind off her...what they might be doing to her. This is not much of a plan and I would never normally listen to Stella. She clearly has issues, but the things she showed me yesterday...I still can't believe it and I saw it with my own eyes. Looks like the courier and I are both twisted up in a new game that we didn't even know we were playing...and the game was rigged from the start.

I clench the watch in my fist as I look at the Lucky 38 one last time. I am coming for you, Courier. Even Hell can't stop me from finding you.


	9. Chapter 9: Secrets of First Watch

Author's notes: I swear I work on this story everyday and it's taking me forever to get it out. Less Courier this chapter as I'm moving into more first person Boone (so there is more writing in the FNV AU perspective as requested - not sure if I'm doing a successful job writing in this perspective so suggestions/tips is appreciated). Also, trying something new this chapter. Previous chapters have been a collection of events that jump from flashback to present, character to character (maybe I watched too much sesame street as a kid). I'm getting feedback this is too confusing, so trying something different this chapter (still flashbacks but trying to reduce them as much). Trying to keep this one shorter than the last one but it ended up huge anyways. My bad if the fairy tale part too long winded. As always, please excuse any grammar/spelling errors. Thanks again for reading and hope you enjoy!

* * *

**Act II, CHAPTER Nine: Secrets of First Watch**

* * *

_**[COURIER FLASHBACK - Night One with the sniper]**  
_

_We walked away from Novac that night, heading toward the direction of the Strip. That city is so beautiful at night - so brightly lit. The crowing jewel, the Lucky 38, towers over the entire city and can be seen from miles away. The Mojave wasteland can be so desolate, dangerous. But when you look at that slender tower of ivory in the distance...it inspires hope in people, makes things a little better. We all flock to it like a cazador to the light of a campfire for one reason or another. It was a symbol of prewar luxury, and for most - to stand before it within the gates of the Strip is a sign that you made it big. Those casinos promise the chance for quick, easy caps. But Lady luck doesn't smile upon everyone - the Strip takes more than she gives, a trap in a way for fools and their money. But that's most people. For me, the Lucky 38 is a testament of perseverance, a symbol of ourselves - her opulence and illustriousness survived the war, and mankind did too. The worst has happened, and things can only start getting better, right? At least, that's my theory..._

_I continue pushing forward along the path of broken asphalt. I look back and see the sniper is still following behind me. He's ex-NCR and anti-Legion. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing - the only side I'm on is my own right now. He hasn't said a word since we left...which would normally make me feel uneasy, but right now I don't feel like talking. And I'm too tired to care. I'm starting to think this whole arrangement was a mistake, asking him to come along. I'm used to being on my own. Plus, I'm not sure if I can trust this guy. He's a man with nothing to lose - hard to depend on someone who's taking on life like a suicide mission. Plus we just killed an old woman a few hours earlier. I'm used to attacking when attacked - but what we did...not sure how i feel about that. Can't get the image out of my mind - she was standing so close...a few feet away, right next to me. I heard a crack of a rifle, felt warm droplets land on me, and then she fell. Her body laid out on the ground and her head was just...gone. And it's not that I felt sorry for the woman - she had it coming. I..._

_I've got to stop thinking about this. Need to keep focused - focused on Benny. I find him, get my revenge and then I can drop this guy._

_I hear the sudden crack of a rifle coming from behind. I reflexively freeze in place, raising my hands up in the air in a surrendering posture. I curse to myself, "Fuck - I knew this guy was going to kill me! Really, you think I'd be a better judge of character by now..." I slowly turn around, and Boone or whatever he said his name was fires off another round and my heart skips a beat. I look where the barrel of his rifle is pointed - it's not at me, but at the body of a giant radscorpion not that far off in the distance. Holy crap - he killed that thing...so easily. I can empty my pistol on one and I'd just piss it off. And I didn't even see it coming. I look at the radscorpion for a few seconds, then at him. OK...so maybe picking up the sniper was a good idea. _

_"You can put your hands down now," he says sounding annoyed. "Trust me, you have nothing I want." I had forgotten that I had them up, still dazed by what just happened. I drop my hands and look back at the radscorpion. I hear his voice directly behind me now. "If you're having second thoughts about this arrangement, let me know now." I turn around and shake my head, "*cough*Um, no. No second thoughts. It was just a reflex - Mojave Express couriers tend to get robbed a lot. Also, seems like all my recent company have either wanted my gear, wanted me dead, or both."_

_"Who would want you dead," he asks. I shrug my shoulders as I reply, "Mostly strangers in checkered suits."_

_"Lucky for you, I only wear tan. Besides...if I wanted you dead, you wouldn't see it coming." Oh, that's reassuring. Not really. I turn back around and start walking. After about 10 steps I hear, "I'm making camp." Wait...what? I turn and see the sniper is walking in the direction of an old trailer and a long dead campfire ring that's off the side of the road. I say, "I'm trying to get to the Strip as soon as possible. We can rest later."_

_"If you want to end up on the dinner plate of the next radscorpion that I *don't* manage to catch in my cross-hairs in time, that's your business. But I'm not interested in wasting *my* time walking back to Novac after that happens. Your eyes are shit - go get some sleep . I'll take first watch." I stare at him in disbelief as he sits his gear bag down and lights the campfire. I get the feeling I won't win this argument, so I __walk towards the trailer. Yeah...after I kill Benny, definitely dropping this guy - no question there._  


* * *

**[PRESENT - Boone]**

Dusk has settled over the Mojave wasteland. I'm taking first watch so Gannon and Stella can get some rest. I scan the darkness through my scope looking for the slightest movement - anything, everything that might be a threat. I spot a giant radscorpion in the distance shuffling around in the sand. I lean my shoulder into the stock of my rifle, steady my breathing, and when I get a good line on my target...I take it. My round races across the desert terrain and slams straight through it. Pieces of exoskeleton and yellow gunk fly into the air and the radscorpion stops moving. I eject the spent casing and reload before it's body hits the ground. I've done this a thousand times...and I'll do it a thousand more.

"Can't believe you actually took out a radscorpion of that size with a single shot." I turn to my right to see Stella standing next to me, squinting in the direction of it's the fallen body in the distance while sipping a bottle of beer. Figures she wouldn't be sleeping.

"_Most things won't survive a .50 caliber round from an AMR (Anti-Material Rifle) ripping through it. You should see what this can do to a deathclaw_."

"I believe it... You see surprisingly well out here in the dark."

"_I'm used to working nights_." She nods and continues to stare off into the distance. I return to scanning the area through my scope. All is quiet when I hear Stella mumble, "Can you find what you cannot see?"

"_What?_"

"How do you find your enemy if you cannot see them?"

I give her a blank look. Is she serious or is that the beer talking? "_I work best if I'm at a distance so the *only* thing I can rely on is what I see. Sometimes I can hear an enemy if they're close enough... but if I can see it, I can hit it."_

"But if something happens to your eyes...what do you do?"

Now she's irritating me. _"I wouldn't blindly start firing around me if that's what you're getting at."_

She finishes her beer, throws the empty bottle across the way and laughs, "There are two more radscorpions out there. I was wondering why you hadn't killed them...because you wanted a good bead on them first, but I guessing now you didn't know they were out there."

I lower my rifle and quickly scan around the perimeter of the camp. Nothing. I focus on what I can hear...but all I hear is Gannon snoring. I look around a few more times before saying, "_You're full of shit, Stella. There's nothing out there." _

She throws me a bottle of beer and laughs, "Drink this - might help you find them better."_  
_

I sit the bottle down on the ground and she says_, "_Awwwwwh, come on!_ Carpe Noctem!"_

_"Car-pay Knock-tim?"_

"Heard it a lot at the fort. It means 'Seize the night.' They are out there alright...on your six - turn your night eye there. Watch and wait. Then you'll see."

I turn around and look through my scope - I see nothing. After a few moments my eye catches movement - thought it was the wind moving a small patch of brush but then I see a stinger and set of pincers, and then another. Two radscorpions are there like she said. I take the two down as she continues to watch. "_How in the hell did you know they were there?_"

"In servitio vestro."

I lower my rifle - why can't she just answer a simple question for once? _"Inn sir-vee-tee-oh...vase-troh? Another Legion saying?"_

She smiles widely. "Yes, it is. It means you shouldn't repeat everything you hear." She suddenly starts spinning in circles, looking around at everything like she's seeing it for the first time and laughing. She's definitely had too much to drink. After a few moments she stops spinning and says, "As for the radscorpions - when I was taken to the fort, I spent the first month with a hood over my head in my cell. At least...I think it was a month. Could barely see anything through it. Wasn't exactly pleasant but my other senses heightened after that. Wind is coming in from that direction. I knew they were out there... because I smelled them. Radscorpions smell similar to a radroach, but not as dirty. Females smell slightly more acidic and sweet. Taste pretty decent too...but if you don't cook them right, they'll kill you. "

Smelled them? From that far? Not possible. This desert is full of radscorpions - she just got lucky is all. Has to be. I see her staring at the dead radscorpions, mumbling something to herself before saying,"Truly amazing skill you have there...truly. Why don't you go get some rest. We'll need your eyes tomorrow. I'll take the rest of the watch. "

Finally she has said something to make me laugh. She'll be drunk within the hour. That's not a no, but a hell no. "_Can't do that._"

She walks over and grabs the beer she threw to me earlier. She flips the cap off and pockets it before taking a sip. "Can't or won't?"

"_Why don't we have this conversation later when you're a bit more sober._"

She laughs, "Then we'll never have this conversation if that's the case. At least take a seat by the fire. Relax a little, take a load off. You hadn't slept in two days and nothing's out there anyways." I feel like I can't relax but I take a seat anyways. She sits across from me and stares at the flames of the campfire. Gannon turns over in his bedroll and shifts a little but is otherwise dead asleep. After a few long moments of silence, Stella takes a long gulp from her bottle and asks, "How did you and Augusta meet?"

"_This isn't really my thing_."

"Talking really isn't your thing? I would have never guessed that, Boone. You didn't say a word the entire time we traveled today. But that doctor friend of yours over there - he won't shut up. I guess that actually explains a lot..."

Why do I have the feeling she's about to say something to piss me off..."_What do you mean?_"

"The need for two protectorii - one to converse with, confide in. The other to kill with. I guess we both know which group you're in."

And I was right. God damn that woman...she always knows how to get under my skin. She finishes her beer and throws the bottle at Gannon. It lands inches from him, but doesn't hit him. She smiles and says, "Boone - I know you're a private man. You don't like to talk - I get it. Understand things from my perspective - I have not seen Augusta in 5 *long* years. I'm trying to help you hunt down a women who has no memory of who she is let alone me... I just need to know who she is now. I only have scraps of information here and there but not a complete picture. So please... just tell me something...anything. I don't care what at this point."

I think it over for a few moments before relenting. "_Alright...but there is not much to tell. We met in Novac. She came there looking for someone...I later learned she was looking for the man that tried to kill her. She walked into my sniper's nest her first night there. I told her to get out...but we started talking and she agreed to help me with a problem I was having with one of the locals. After everything was done, she asked me to travel with her. I declined at first...but there was really no reason to stay. And I had every reason to leave...so I said OK."_

"Must have been a little awkward first night out together."

"_You could say that. We left at night and walked a few hours before making camp. I took first watch...was used to working the night shift and she looked exhausted. But I wasn't trying to be nice... she helped me out but I didn't completely trust her. She was a little too jumpy. Plus I wasn't sure if she'd fall asleep during her watch...couldn't afford to take a risk like that. But it didn't matter - I couldn't sleep. Not that night. I had a lot of things going through my mind after what we did ... As she slept, I was scouting the area when I heard a faint voice. Thought it was a fiend in the distance at first, but when I returned I saw it was her...talking in her sleep. Couldn't make it out, but sounded like she was saying the same thing over and over. I..._" No. I'm saying too much.

Stella perks up, "What?"

_"It's not important_."

"Oh no - lie to Gannon all you want but not me. I'm not here to judge you, Boone. Anything you say - can't be as bad as I've seen or done myself."

"_You're not going to like what you hear._" Stella silently studies me for a few moments. She grabs her nearby gear bag, rummages for a few seconds before pulling out a couple of cigars, then throws one to me. She lights up, savoring her first drawn in breath before exhaling a cloud of smoke. She looks at me and says, "She was speaking Latin, wasn't she? You thought she was Legion - and you thought about killing her." She spits out a sliver of tobacco that came off from the cigar and says, "That woman always talked in her sleep. Talked to herself a lot in fact. And I would have thought about killing her too if I were in your place. So why didn't you?"

I never told anyone about the Latin. Ever. And I can't believe what she just said - talking about killing her friend as if it was...nothing. But the shameful part isn't what she said, but that she was right. "_I didn't because things didn't add up. She helped me ...when I couldn't trust anyone else. Figured I'd give her a chance - time to see if she'd give me a reason to kill her. But after months of traveling together, it never happened. I kept her distant, couldn't afford to let my guard down. Or at least tried to, but she was growing on me. Later got the idea that traveling with ex-NCR was actually a perfect cover for a Legion spy. That just pissed me off. Finally couldn't take it anymore and decided to confront her about all the lies. It was the perfect place to do it too - we were at McCarran. If I got the answer I didn't want to hear and she got away from me, all I had to do was yell 'Legion spy' and the entire camp would rain down on her. There was no place to run or hide. No escape. __After I confronted her I was expecting to hear another lie, wanted her to lie really. That day I would have killed her if she had. _But...she didn't. She told me she had amnesia. I remember how she shook as she told me about how it happened...how they tried to kill her. How she should be dead. Everything made sense after that - I could tell she was sincere. In a way I was relieved...but things started going strange after that. Like I found her laying on the ground outside the front gates of McCarran blacked out. Figured it had to do with her head injury, so I took her to Old Mormon Fort to see a doctor - that's where we met Arcade..."

...

...

**_[Boone flashback - Courier checkup at Old Mormon Fort]_**

I drag the courier out of the doctor's tent by her shirt collar. She's pretty pissed off and putting up a fight. She yells, "Let me go, Boone! I'm getting my damn 50 caps back!"

_"No you're not." _I survey the area quickly and see all eyes in camp are on us now...great. She tries to pull free but I'm not having it. She reaches for her pistol, and I take it from her before she can grab it. Thankfully, she's not better at fighting or I'd have a real problem on my hands. She frowns and yells, "Oh come on! Give that back! At least let me shoot this guy for cheating me!"

_"The guy did his job and didn't find anything. He didn't cheat you. "_ I let her go, and take position in front of the tent doorway to block her from entering. She tries to get past me, *like I knew she would*. I stretch my arms out to block her and she stops. She steps up to me, her face inches from mine, and curses, "Damn you, Boone! I wouldn't let someone cheat you!"

_"Stay here. I'll go talk to the guy."_ Her expression changes...she looks surprised. She takes a deep breath to calm down, steps back then asks, "What are you going to do to him?"

"_I'll take care of it._"

"Whatever it is - do it twice." I hold back a laugh, nod and walk back in the tent. Dr. Gannon is pacing around and looks flustered. "The one day I decide to stop doing research and start helping patients, THIS has to happen. Lesson learned - back to research for me."

_"I came to apologize for my friend. She's not herself lately. "_

He adjusts his glasses and says, "If you came back for the caps, I can't give them back. I did what she asked - might not be the answer she wanted, but they need the caps too badly around here. We help too many people."

I pull out my share of caps from the Cook-Cook bounty and hand it to the doctor. _"Consider this a donation from the Courier - she's just having an off day."_

He takes the caps and his bad attitude fades. "Well...that is very gracious of you...her. Thank you."

_"You speak Latin then."_

He looks a little nervous now, looking at my beret then at me before answering. "Yes. But it doesn't mean I have Legion ties. A lot of good people used to speak it all the time..." The doctor starts rambling but I ignore what he's saying. For months I've listened as Courier said the same thing over and over each night in her sleep. I have to know what she's been saying all this time. I interrupt him. "_I need you to translate something for me. My pronunciation might be off, but can you tell me what 'Four-too-nah ...ahh-dee-oo-va may... lee-bay-rah may... ahh tay-nay-brees' means?"_

The doctor has a dead panned expression, either surprised I asked him to translate some Latin or I've just said something crazy. "Where... did you hear that?"

_"Just something my friend used to say. They would never tell me what it meant."_

The doctor rubs his chin, repeating the phrase a few times before saying, "Well, your friend was asking Lady luck for help, _Fortuna adiuva me_. People around these parts normally ask for her help in gambling - pretty typical but they don't usually ask in Latin. But your friend says _'libera me a tenebris'_... literally translated as 'deliver me from the dark.' Although it might be interpreted as 'save me from the darkness.' Maybe your friend was scared of the dark?"

Save me from the darkness? Like the darkness I saw around her today? I get a sick feeling deep down inside...this can't all be coincidence. Can it? I say, "_Thank you, doctor_" and walk out the tent.

[END FLASHBACK]

...

...

Stella's mouth falls open and almost drops her cigar as she stares at me in disbelief. She says, "Fati ask Fortuna for guidance all the time. But that...is a request for protection. Like she _knew_ she was going to run into Mala."

"_What is it? The darkness I saw around her. And the man in the bar._"

Her face turns pale as she says, "The darkness around the man - that was the mark of Mala. She is stronger than most Fati - gives her the ability to transfer power of presence to another. Only Fati can kill Fati - but those marked by her darkness would be carrying out the actions for her. They don't have her power - but it would be like her hand did it, which means anyone carrying her mark could kill a fate."

_"So she was trying to kill you."_

"It's starting to look that way."

_"And Courier?"_

"Mala can not mark a fati. But she can use her darkness to kill or to manipulate a mind. But, Mala's powers I don't understand fully. I just know to stay away...far away. It's part of the reason why I need to go to Novac...to get answers. To get a feel for what we're dealing with...to see what is next to come. We should be there by now...a shame we hit that sand storm earlier. Should have been able to cover ten times the distance we did today - an unfortunate delay."

_"Why does Courier know Latin?_" Stella looks at me then looks at Gannon who is now sitting up and yawning. He looks over at me and says, "Why didn't anyone wake me up for the party?"

Stella says, "Because somebody needs to get sleep around here. Kinda defeats the point of taking watch if everyone is awake." She rummages through her bag and pulls out a beer. Must be her last one as she's frowning. Gannon puts his bed roll away, and we all sit around the campfire in silence. Gannon says, "Why don't you two get some sleep, I can take wat..."

"No." "_No._"

Gannon looks at Stella and I. "Ooooohhh-kay then. Sleep deprivation doesn't do anybody here any good. But you two suit yourselves." A few more moments of welcome silence, but Gannon starts up again. "Sooo...what were you guys talking about earlier?"

Stella takes a sip of beer, smiles and says, "Vagina." Gannon frowns at her.

"Riiight. I see civilized conversation is out for the night. Does anyone have any good story to share at least?" Stella raises an eyebrow and says, "Not for you."

"You really don't like me, do you?"

"Oh, I really do like you, Gannon. In the same way I like a stimpak. I like that it can save my life, but it's still a bit of a prick." Here we go again. The two start exchanging insults but I stop listening. They eventually stop talking and all is quiet again...finally. Stella looks around and says, "I do know one story - I heard it growing up, but it's more of a children's fairy tale."

"Let me guess - the psycho girl that cried wolf? Puss in stolen boots?"

"No, smart ass...It's called the Scion and the Conscript."

Gannon sighs. "Might as well hear it."

Stella gently puts out the lit end of her cigar before setting it down on a nearby rock. She says, "Once, there was an island that was home to the world's most despicable people. The inhabitants had an untamed heart for violence. They conquered other peoples and made sure they shared their message to the world - that they felt no pain, had no fear, and showed no mercy. All who knew of them trembled at their very name - so much so that it became forbidden to even speak it. Their real name was lost to time, but they were remembered by all as the Islanders."

Gannon asks, "What island? Or was that name forbidden too?"

Stella downs the last half her beer, wipes her mouth on her sleeve and says, "The island was named I-need-another-fucking-beer." Gannon frowns as Stella rummages through his pack, and pulls one out. "Stop with the questions and let me finish the story, will ya?"

Gannon snatches his gear bag away from her, saying "Fine...just get on with it and stay out of my stuff."

"It's a made up story with a made up island that has no name... Anyways...one day a coven of powerful witches came to the island. They could have liberated the world of these people by easily killing them, but they were there for the insanest of reasons - to make their home WITH them. Kind of like in nature when two animals share the same den - and one of those animals has no choice about it. Or a parasite living off a host. Whatever. The leader of that coven, known as the high priestess, taught these islanders two important lessons so they understood their place and how things would be. The first was a demonstration of power so they understood there was no such thing as fighting against them as their magic was extremely powerful. The second was life could be worst than death...that once a person died, they could not endure anymore suffering they might decide to inflict. And if any islander pissed a witch off, she would not kill them but by the time she was done... they would have wished she had. Once the Islanders learned the coven was 'they who should not be fucked with,' they tried to contain the situation by establishing boundaries. The coven marked all that belonged to them with their symbol, a circle, securing their position and property. The islanders did not like it, but there was nothing they could do. They kept this situation private - any person who spoke of the coven outside their realm would be killed. So they continued to plague the world with war while keeping their witch problem hidden from outsiders."

Gannon asks,"Why didn't the islanders just move?"

"Because they were on an island, OK?"

"But you said they traveled the world. They could have just left."

Stella blinks, "For the love of Fortuna, would you just let me finish? The witches didn't want the island, they wanted the islanders. So if they moved, they would have moved along with them. I told you - they were parasites. So they might as well stay on the island..."

"This story is boring."

"Well, if you would let me fucking finish telling it, it would get better!"

Gannon raises his hands in a surrendering posture and says, "Okay, okay...finish your stupid story..." Stella cuts her eyes at him before continuing. "As time passed, the coven's numbers began to dwindle. Simply put - they needed more witches to keep their coven thriving - even a handful of people would do. Luckily, the high priestess learned of an ancient practice by the islanders that would work to her advantage. If a mother passed away during childbirth and the child was male - the islanders heralded the birth in celebration. They believed these male children would grow into the deadliest of warriors, so mean and fierce that they killed their own mother at birth. These males were designated with a special surname that meant "gift from the gods" to distinguish them from other warriors. But the same was not true for girls born under the same circumstance - they were seen as an ill omen and were discarded. The high priestess approached the islander king and demanded she be given these ill-fated newborn girls. To himself he scoffed at the high priestess' request but secretly...he feared her. So he agreed to her request hoping that would satisfy the coven so they would not cause trouble. They meant nothing to him anyways. So from that day forward, islander midwives would leave these girls at the coven entrance. The witches would take them in, and cut a small circle shape on the bottom of the left foot of each newborn - a mark that told the islanders that they were coven property. Again, the witches did this not to save innocent children...but to bolster their own community. So these island-born children were being raised to be witches."

As the girls grew and their training in the dark arts began, the high priestess saw that their magic was weak at best. But if they had to master only a few spells - maybe they would do those well enough to hide their lack of ability from the islanders. She decided each witch would have their own distinct designation after that - they were taught spells and given knowledge according to their field of expertise. Some learned spells for agriculture and crop growth, others for medicinal herbs and healing arts. But they weren't just farmers and healers - some learned spells for defense, others for enchantments and still others for conjuration of the undead. There was no choice in it though - the high priestess delegated what spells the witches would learn, and once appointed a chosen position, a dot was placed within the circle scar on the foot to indicate as such. Most designations were decided based on a girls natural talent, but some were chosen for their role at birth. One such newborn was chosen by the High Priestess to be her successor, and she raised her separately..in seclusion. The high priestess spent all of her time with this one, ensuring she was raising a reflection of herself. As the girl grew, the high priestess taught her lessons on how to lead, cast dark spells over her to enhance her ability for speech and manipulation and at an early age was delegating all interactions with the coven through this scion. The girl spent her whole life living with the high priestess, isolated from the other girls. She watched from afar as the girls played and she was not allowed to join in, never allowed to have friends. Her heart grew cold like the coven's leader - and she delegated over the girls with no compassion, and they hated her for it.

The high priestess had solved the problem of their declining community, but she yearned for more. For years she watched the islanders and dreamed of their army marching under the flag of the Coven's circle but she was unsure how to accomplish this. One day she divulges this wish to her young successor. After a few days of contemplation, the scion tells her that such a dream could become reality. She unveils a plan that involves strategic infiltration of Islander society, a plan that involved the presentment of a pair of unique coven witches to the Islander king as a gift. The two would have to have powerful magic, magic that the Islander king will not wish to live without once their power was demonstrated. Once he was convinced his kingdom would become even more powerful with the aid of the two, then they could slowly gain Islander trust and soon they would do whatever she wished...but for this plan to succeed, it would require careful planning and patience on the part of the high priestess. The scion warns her that should they succeed in gaining such an army, islander leadership could not be trusted. As the first step in her plan, she recommends that she select a girl to be raised as a solider within the islander army to learn their ways and gain their trust, one who would serve as an intermediary between them and the coven. This conscript would have 100% loyalty to the high priestess and serve as the general of her army one day - this would be the first of the pair to be presented to the island King. The second would be the scion herself - her ability to advise and to manipulate would make her the perfect choice. The high priestess listened intently and quickly agreed to her plan.

The very next day she conscripted the strongest of her girls for this position. Islander women were forbidden to serve in their army, so the girl was made to look like a boy and taken to training. All went well until her classmates figured out she was not male and beat her so badly she was barely able to crawl back to the coven. Another girl was selected, this time the most athletic. She too was made to look like a boy, and joined an entirely different training class. But after a month of training she succumbed to a similar fate as the first - discovery of her true gender followed by a harsh attack by her classmates, but this time they took it a step further. She had actually made it into weapons training so they cut her thumbs off so she could never hold a weapon or use the knowledge she was taught.

At this point the high priestess had given up on the conscript idea when the scion approached her and asked if she could pick 'she who would be general.' The high priestess laughed at her...she did not belief in success at this point but she let her chose all the same. What she did not know was that the scion did not believe any of the coven girls would succeed either, so she took advantage of the situation. She chose a girl that had been extremely troublesome to her and she liked the least of them all. She was not the strongest or the most athletic but it didn't matter. She wanted her to fail, to perish and it was guaranteed in her mind that this would happen for one very specific reason. She had noticed that one of the islander trainers would stare at this specific girl when he and his students passed by on their daily march. If she was picked and sent to his class for training - he would immediately recognize her. Worst case scenario is that she would limp home from a beating. Best case scenario would be that she never came home at all, having been killed. And if he said nothing and let her train, that would be even better. The scion believed the man had malicious desire and intent for the girl - the evils he would do unto her in secret the scion could not even fathom. Either way, this was the the perfect way to deal with her. So with many protests, the new conscript was held down, her long locks cut so her hair was short as a boys, and the dot of appointment placed within her circle sealing her fate. The new conscript looked upon the smirking scion and the need for vengeance swelled in her heart - she knew she was assigned a death sentence. She wiped the tears from her face, threw the cut locks into a nearby fire, and grabbed the training uniform of her predecessors. When the training class came by on their daily march, the scion dressed as an Islander errand girl approached the trainer and presented the conscript for training. He stared at the conscript for a few moments, and then ordered her to join alongside the marching boys. But no evils befell her as the scion had hoped. The training was harsh, the instructor harsher. Many days the conscript wanted to quit but the only thing that kept her going was the need for vengeance against the scion. She trained with the other soldiers for years and her true gender was never discovered. The scion had chosen wisely and the high priestess was very pleased.

Time passed and the scion and the conscript, still bitter enemies, had reached well into their late teens. But also with the passage of time the high priestess had become impatient. She wanted the islander army, and wanted to accelerate plans. The scion disagreed and tried to convince the high priestess to stay on course with her plan. But she would not. She saw the success with the conscript and wanted witches integrated into other parts of islander society, thinking this would help reach her goal faster. She passed the order to the scion and for the first time ever, the scion would not do as the coven head commanded. The scion argued openly so all within the coven could hear that the conscript's success was based on secrecy. Open interaction between the coven and the islanders would weaken their position of power and she was right. But the high priestess did not care, yelling for the scion to do as she bid, to pass her orders down to the coven. Again, she refused to relay her commands. The high priestess grew angry - openly refusing her would not be tolerated...and she did it twice. She called on the witches to hold the scion down. She drew out her blade and etched an 'x' over the scion's circle and cast her out of the coven. All were in shock - she who was the favorite was banished to islander society - it was a death sentence. The outcast scion walked off into a very dangerous situation as she had no protection now. All the witches were secretly glad and laughed at her misfortune, none more so than the conscript.

The high priestess appointed a new scion and the girls were elated...until they realized the new scion was worse. The mind of the high priestess was consumed with madness and no one knew it - the original scion could talk her out of most of her lunacy. The new scion had no such talent. Days passed, and after getting delegated absurd rule after rule, the coven started questioning the choices of their leadership. Structure within the Coven started to weaken. Some witches ran away. The high priestess found them and killed them all, making them an example to the rest that there was no place they could run from her. Reluctantly, those within the coven followed her lead but all knew something had to be done.

Months pass. On the way back to the coven after running errands, the conscript saw a standing mob of islanders yelling and cheering. She assumed a couple of men were fighting, but then she heard a familiar cry. She pushed through the crowd and she saw the old scion was being attacked by an islander soldier. She watched her enemy bloodied and beaten as the crowd cheered on - she was no match for the soldier's training. The scion dodged some hits but eventually fell to the ground from the blows being dealt to her. The conscript felt death was coming for the scion if something wasn't done...and without thinking she stepped between the two and pushed the soldier back. She reacted as a part of her training but she had forgotten her place - she was not in her soldier training uniform as a young man but was wearing a head covering and the clothing of a lowly 'errand girl.' The solder was stunned at first but then he lunged towards her. But after so many years of training in the islander's fighting arts, she knew better than him what he was going to do. And with the dark magic instilled by the high priestess, she could hit faster and stronger than he could ever dream. She blocked each blow, and for each punch he threw she dealt two of her own. The crowd fell silent as they watched, unbelieving not that a young woman was fighting a soldier, but that she was winning. As the fight progressed the conscript regretted stepping into the fray at all as she knew there would be no winner that day. The soldier's honor was at stake and he would have to either lose his life or take hers - there was no such option as both of them walking away. And if she won, the mob would attack her for killing a solider. Either way - she was the real loser there that day. She eventually knocked the battered soldier to the ground to the point where he stopped trying to get back up. She stood over him, enjoyed her last few moments, and pulled back to make her killing blow when she heard someone yell her name. She turned and saw her trainer pushing through the crowd. He stepped up to her, slapped her across the face like he would discipline a servant and yelled at her for her actions. He helped the solider to his feet, gave him some gold coins, and waved him on his way. He yelled at the crowd of islanders to leave, and they reluctantly dispersed.

The conscript was scared for her life at this point, but her trainer said nothing about her appearance. He picked up the scion and ordered her to follow him. He took both girls back to his camp, treated the scion's wounds and gave both girls some food. The conscript was too nervous to eat but watched as the scion ate...noticeably thinner than she remembered her last, eating as if she hadn't eaten in days. She gave her bowl to the scion who stared at her briefly before thanking her, taking it and consuming it as well. The conscript watched in silence as her trainer spoke to the scion and he learned how she was outcast from the coven, how her desperation caused her to start stealing, a crime punishable by death even for first time offenders. She had been getting away with it until the soldier caught her. The conscript listened as her trainer chided the scion for stealing, and told her of honest ways of gaining coin. He was concerned for her safety, and asked her to stay at his camp until they could find a better arrangement for her. She was surprised by the offer but humbly accepted. When the scion settled in and feel asleep, the trainer took the conscript, who had not said a word since the fight, to the side to talk.

He asked, "It was foolish of you to use my training and be dressed like this today. Why did you interfere? It was not your fight."

She was confused - he knew her gender all this time and said nothing? Without hesitation, she replied "She was not his to kill. That is my right."

"She is your enemy then?"

Her world was spinning, falling apart but she pushed those emotions aside so she could focus on his question. She wanted to say yes, but didn't answer. She turned to look upon the sleeping scion and her hate for her returned. But then she realized she was looking at her enemy decimated to the point where she was fighting for a crumb of food. She felted wronged in a way - if her enemy was to fall, she wanted it to be by her hand. But when an enemy is so weakened by the world that they are no longer a threat but a groveling weak beggar - it's almost an injustice. She had hated her for so long - but she never wanted anything like that to happen to her unless she was responsible. But the world had beaten her to it - and there was nothing she could do about it. She looked at her trainer and replied as stiff lipped as she could, "I am guilty of many crimes today. Like her, I too am of the Coven. I have lived a lie all these years in order to seek your training. Worse still, I used your training to attack a superior. I have no justification other than I wanted to take back my kill and I wanted mercy for my weakened enemy. Mercy is for the weak. I have failed myself, my brothers at arms, you and your instruction. I will take whatever punishment you deem fit."

The trainer stared at her briefly before saying, "Who am I to punish? Training a girl is forbidden - I knew it. I did it anyways. Do you know how many students...some even children... who figured out your true gender, who came to me with that knowledge and I killed them to keep your secret? At least one a year for each year you've trained, if not more. Whatever punishment you seek will befall me as well."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had been living a lie for so long...a lie only a few believed apparently. She felt a panicked, but she focused to control her breathing. She asked with gritted teeth, "If you knew, why did you train me?"

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small scrap of paper. "You wouldn't know this...but my wife and I were not born here. Our people were brought against their will and were integrated into this society. This place changes you...makes you into something different from yourself. But not my wife. After years of life here she still would not change. They called her 'she who's will could not be broken.' She carried our child - and I was in battle the day she went into delivery. She died during the birth but she had a healthy daughter. Her fate was sealed though, thrown away before I had a chance to try and stop it much less lay eyes on her. What should have been the happiest day of my life had turned into the worst - I had lost the two most important people in my world and I wasn't even there to say goodbye. After that, I fought fiercer than any man in battle so much so that all took notice - I did not fear death. I embraced it. But death would not take me. Years passed when I learned that girls like my daughter were being taken to the high priestess...I regained hope that she might be alive. I laid down my arms and requested the position of trainer. Everyday I ran my students by the coven, hoping to see her." She sees a tear forming in one of his eyes as he says, "And one day I did see her. And the gods smiled upon me because soon after your enemy, as you call her, gave her to me to train. I could not believe it. I never hoped to have any kind of life with her, but this...it was a gift. I would have disgraced the memory of my wife if I did not accept. I resolved to teach her everything I knew. She walked into my class as the weakest student. Everyone expected her to fail but I wouldn't let her. Today, she is one of my best. And yet after all the years of training I have given you... their training, their conditioning, and their ways, I find it amazing that your mother's will still shines through you." He hands her the square of paper - an image of his wife. The conscript looks just like her. She stares at the picture for a few moments then looks at her trainer...her father.

She was relieved...confused... angry. "You knew...for all these years you knew and said nothing? I..." She didn't fully understand. She collects her emotions once again, hands back the picture and says, "I have come to respect you in so many ways that I could never respect the High Priestess. And I'd gladly give my life to save yours. I am grateful for your training, for your intervention today...for keeping my confidence for all these years. I..."

"You are angry at me."

"Damn straight I am," she yelled. "I mean no...I mean...I don't know." She stands up to leave and he says, "I know you're confused right now. Before you leave - I wanted you to know that I will always be here for you... and that I love you." She looks at him and says, "And I want you to know that this love a child feels for a father or the love a father feels for a child - these are foreign to me. I was raised in a group by a priestess - it is all I have ever known. I do not have love for you...father. I don't say that out of disrespect - I simply don't know how to. I ...I must go before they come looking for me." Before he can say anything , she runs away and returns to the coven. But the conscript never returns to training after that night, hiding during the day to avoid the High Priestess and new scion's watchful eye. She felt like her whole world fell apart and she decided to spend time with the only other person who could related - the old scion. And so she spent her days guarding the old scion as she ran errands. The scion continued to live with the conscript's father, relaying details to him of his daughter and trying to slowly convince her on his part to see him again.

More months pass and the high priestess' integration plan was not working as she had hoped. She decided to try the infiltration approach proposed by the original scion - a plan involving the presentment of the scion and conscript to the islander king as gifts. She gained audience with the islander king and brought the two with her, neither young woman knowing what was intended for them that night. The conscript wore a specially crafted women's armor and the new scion wore the clothing of one of the islander's royal advisers. They stood before the king and the scion announced a presentment of their abilities. But the king's guards laughed at the sight of a young woman in female armor - they expected to her strip and dance naked for them as entertainment. The new scion fumbled too much in speech and the king's guards laughed at her as if she were a court jester. The islander king responded in the same manner - but with ill amusement. This embarrassment infuriated the high priestess. The laughs of the islander guards fell silent as they watched her use her dark magic to kill the new scion for her failure. The conscript feared she would be next, but instead the high priestess verbally cast her out of the circle and walked away leaving her to the islander king to do as he will. The conscript fought the king's guards off as best she could but there were too many. She was stripped of her armor, bound in chains and was taken away to be sold as a servant.

The next morning, the old scion went looking for her friend in their usual meeting place but she never showed. She started asking around and discovered what had happened, how the high priestess fumbled her plans and how her new friend was imprisoned. The scion immediately ran to the conscript's father, informing him of everything. She handed him a bag of gold coins and asked that he purchase her, but he grew angry and threw them back at her. He yelled at the conscript, telling her there was no honor in stealing and for him to show he had that much coin would cause suspicion. The scion quietly collected the coins from the ground before telling him that she had earned the money honestly and had been saving it - but that didn't matter. The words he spoke were true. People would wonder how a man of his statue was doing with so much gold. He apologized for his actions, explaining how he had taken the task of training his daughter so she might defend herself from ever living the life of a servant, but this fate befell her all the same. Seeing no other recourse, he drew his blade from it's sheathe and started walking in the direction of the castle. He would set her free, even if it meant he would die doing it.

The scion runs after him, trying to talk sense into him. She yells, "If you go to the castle looking for a fight, you will die and she would still be sold - you would have accomplished nothing. If you truly want her to regain her freedom - then let me go. I can set her free. She won't even be missed." He stops and replies angrily, "If that is true, then why did you not do so already?"

"Because...if I do this, we have to leave the island tonight and never come back. It is the only way. It's your daughter - it's not a choice I felt I could make. At your will, I will go free her and we can meet you on the beaches. Then all three of us can leave together." He lets her words sink in for a few moments before sheathing his blade. "Save her then, but I can not leave. No one will notice the two of you missing but the Islander army would come looking for me. Go free my daughter...and watch over her. She is strong, but she will need your friendship and your guidance." The scion quietly nods, as as she runs towards the castle he yells behind her, "Tell her... I will always be proud of her. Forgive me."

The scion reaches the castle and sneaks through the corridors and alleyways, eventually making her way to the servant market. She sees many islanders standing outside the conscript's cage, marveling at the circle inscribed on her foot. The scion observed their reactions while hidden. She could tell the conscript caught in a cage was giving them ideas...this was an all powerful witch? If one of the coven could be taken, more could be taken. They could be free from these witches forever. It was as she feared - the idea had been planted and the coven was to fall very soon, and there was no stopping those events from happening. The scion waited for hours until the last of the islanders left with a lone guard remaining. Eventually he fell asleep, and she ever so gently reached into his robes and took the key from him, unlocked the conscript's cage and shackles, and they fled as fast as they could. They moved between hiding spots until they made their way to the the beaches and dove straight into the ocean. They swam all night until the island disappeared behind them and they reached a new land. For the first time in their lives, they were finally free.

But the celebration was short lived. The scion told the conscript that the high priestess was still a threat. The coven would fall - but the islanders could never take the high priestess - she was too powerful. And although they were worlds away, the scion feared the high priestess would seek them out and exact revenge. Sadly they decided there was only one thing they could do to ensure they were never found by her - they had to separate. She who would be general joined another king's army, hidden within an ocean of soldiers immersed in the only world she ever knew. And she who would succeed the high priestess walked the world as a nomad, never staying in the same place for very long, always walking, never stopping so she could never be found, living in the world she had only known - a world where she was alone."

Stella looks over and sees Gannon has fallen asleep again. She laughs, "I never said it was a very good story."

_"Did the conscript and the scion ever meet again?"_

Stella says, "Yes. But for only very briefly. I..." She suddenly stops talking. Her head snaps up and she says, "We've got company. At your nine." She jumps up and kicks dirt over the fire to conceal it. She kneels down by some nearby brush to conceal herself from their line of sight. I kneel a few feet away and look through my scope, but I don't see anything. "What am I looking for?"

"Legionaries. At least two are out there, maybe more. Can't tell." I keep searching and finally see two bodies walking in the distance. NCR rangers. _"I see two men, but they're NCR, not Legion_."

"All the way out here? No way they are NCR."

"_Could be on patrol - they might have a new post out here we don't know about._"

"Can you take them both out from here?"

"_What? I said they're NCR. I'm not killing them!"_

"And I'm telling you - they are *not* NCR!"

I lower my rifle. "_I'm not taking a fucking shot at our own guys!_"

Stella curses and rubs her brow. "God damn it! I...*sigh* Ok...ok. We do it the hard way then. You and I - let's walk over and have a chat with these two 'friendlies.' Then we'll see who's right. I sure the fuck hope you're up on your CQB (close quarter battle)."

"_Had no problem fighting you earlier..._"

"You can go to hell, Boone."

We both walk in the direction of the two NCR rangers. Stella waves her arms in the air and yells a greeting to the two men. They turn and walk toward us. As we near them I say, "_Let me do the talking_." But before I or anyone can say anything, Stella says, "Ave, true to Caesar." Why...why did I think she would make this easy? The two men stare at us in shock. I say, "_Don't mind her, she's been drinking..._"

One of the rangers raises his hand to me and says, "Hold, " as Stella approaches them. She extends her hand to him, and they shake. But then she slides her hand down his forearm and grips it, and he does the same to her. He pulls her close - both are looking at each other like they are daring the other to look away. She says something in Latin, and he nods, never breaking eye contact. They release their grip on the other and Stella steps back. She says, "Me and my man here are salararius (mercenaries) for Legate Lanius. We have been awaiting orders for the last two days. Do you bring us news?" He replies, "Salarius for Lanius? Let me see your contract of work from the Consul Officiorum." What...the...fuck.

Stella says, "Contract? From the Consul Officiorum? Do I look like a fool? I'm not showing a goddamn thing to a pair of Frumentarii bitches playing dress up. You're not the contacts we're looking for ...we're done here." She turns her back to them and walks toward me. The other man shakes his head angrily and shouts, "Wait, I thought she looked familiar. That's the whore that fought in the arena! They're no salarius - kill them both!" They both draw their pistols, but I'm already on it. I shoot one and he flies straight back, landing on the ground with blood pouring from the gaping hole my AMR just made in his chest. He's shutters a bit as the life leaves him but he's done - no stimpak will fix that. I take aim on the second but Stella has already disarmed the bastard and broken his arm. She's shouting for me to hold as she yanks him to his knees using his broke arm. The man yells out in pain as she shouts at him, "Stop moving or I will finish snapping your arm off! Try to run, and I'll tell my friend here to shoot your fucking feet off." He stops resisting but it doesn't matter. He won't be alive for long. "Protectorii, give me some rope."

I aim my AMR at his head and say, "_Fuck that - we don't have time for prisoners._"

"But we could always use more information." She kicks at him and says, "You just came from Fortification Hill, didn't you?"

"You will rot in hell, profligate!" She yanks his arm behind his back and kneels behind him as he yells out in pain. "Boone - the rope." I pull some out of my gear bag and throw it to her. She ties his hands together in the back then wraps the excess rope around his neck, runs the rest down his back forming a series of knots along they way and ties his feet together so he's forced to sit head slightly back and chest out on his knees. Never seen anyone tied up like that exactly and she did it pretty fast...she's done this before. She gets up and picks up both of their pistols, strapping a holster to each thigh. She sits in front of the man again and pulls out a combat knife. He curses at her as she slowly cuts one button at a time off the front of his shirt and sings like a little girl taunting someone, "_I know a seeeeee-cret, a tiny little seeee-cret, I know a secret 'bout yooooouuuuuu.._."

"_How did you know they were Legion?_"

She wipes sweat off her brow and says, "Ohhhh, a couple of things. You wouldn't notice because snipers work in pairs, but rangers always work in groups of four or more. You'll maybe see two if they are patrolling outside an undermanned station or holding a post but typically you never just see two walking around. Also when we approached, these two bitches weren't even weapons ready...you learn that first day in boot camp. Tells me these two aren't used to using firearms. They are used to fighting hand to hand...just like the Legion."

_"You're pretty good at hand to hand - and you're a ranger."_

"Yeah...well. That's not something the NCR taught me."

_"Then who did."_

She pauses then smiles but doesn't answer, continuing to cut buttons as she sings, _"I know a s__eeeeee-cret_, a dirty little seeee-cret, but you don't think that I doooooooooo..." She cuts off the last button and pulls open his uniform shirt, slices up his undershirt, and pulls it open to expose his chest. She taps him with the flat side of the blade and says, "Talk or play? What do you know about the courier?" He yells something at her in Latin...I'm not sure if he answered her question, but the expression on her face tells me that's a no.

She repeats the question, "The courier - the one that saw Caesar - what has happened to her?" He laughs nervously, but doesn't answer.

_"You're wasting time - he's trained not to talk. Might as well just kill him."_

She starts singing again, _"I know a __s__eeeeee-cre_t, a dirty fucking_ seeee-cret_, now I get to cut on yooooooouuuuuu...," and slices a long horizontal line down the left side of his chest. She doesn't cut down very deep, but that would hurt anybody...he yells out in pain. But the cut instantly heals as soon as she made it, leaving a scar. She points to it and says, "Did you see that? It's the number one reason I knew these guys were Legion: healing powder and asshole. It's what every Legionary smells like. They won't bathe but they'll make a paste out of healing powder and Nevada agave and rub it all over themselves every chance they get. Dries clear - you'd never know they were even wearing it until they got a good cut during battle. Gives them quick healing. It won't stop the pain but it will stop the bleeding. I've seen a group use this stuff on a poor slave woman once..." She stops talking, swallows hard before finishing. "...to make the fun last longer." She punches the prisoner's face and says, "Isn't that right? We know how to have fun, don't we?" She raises the blade back up and slices him again. He yells, "Wait! Stop! I'll tell you anything you want to know about the courier..."

"I said talk or play. You didn't want to talk...and now I want to play," and she slashes him again. He has a giant 'N' shaped scar on his chest now. The man yells but she keeps going, carving a giant 'C.' Gannon runs up and says, "What is going on? I heard screaming, I..." He sees the man on the ground and his mouth drops open in shock. He yells, "What in the hell are you doing to this ranger? Aren't you guys pro-NCR?"

_"He's not NCR. He's Legion._"

Gannon stares at the prisoner briefly then says, "Okay - so what if he is Legion. Are...are we going to start torturing every person we run across then? I didn't sign up for this kind of thing!"

"No we're not. And this isn't a person, Gannon. It's a toy...a puppet trained to kill you and me...everybody," replies Stella.

"I can't believe I'm hearing this. I...I can't let you do this. Stella, give me the knife." Gannon approaches her, and she stands up and turns the blade towards him and says, "You want to test your luck and take this from me? Is that it?" He halts and puts his palms up, "Stella...you don't want to do this." Gannon breathes uneasily. He takes a step back away from her and says, "You can keep your knife. But torturing this man isn't going to make your pain go away, Stella. I don't fully understand what they did to you while you were a P.O.W. but I understand the need to make them pay, but you don't want to do this..."

She takes a step toward him, blade still pointed in his direction. She calmly says, "Oh that's cute. You're trying to psycho-analyze me. Save me from my own actions, is that it? You want to save someone...save yourself, doctor. You're hurt far worse than me."

He replies nervously, "What are you talking about?"

"Don't be coy, Gannon. You hide behind words - you have a self-depreciating sense of humor. You're a fucking doctor and yet you are not confident in who you are. So much so, you won't even stand up for yourself...even to a woman. Do you fear women? Did your horrible mother molest you?"

That pissed him off. "Don't you ever talk about my mother again! She was nothing like that!"

Stella faces goes straight. They're standing face to face now, blade still raised. She's staring at him, looking almost like she was reading something in his eyes. "So your pain starts there."

Gannon gives her a confused look, regaining his composure. "What? No...no it doesn't. I mean, I'm fine..."

Stella continues, lowering the blade. "You love your mother dearly...maybe your father wasn't there. You don't blame her though. But you're hiding something...what do you fear?"

"Nothing, I...I'm not hiding anything."

"But you are. You talk a lot. Maybe because you're nervous or maybe because you love to talk. You told us so much today, but you didn't think we were listening. But I was...heard every word. People raised in female dominated families tend to talk more than people raised in male dominated families especially when they're nervous. You never mentioned siblings or sisters, so I assume your father wasn't around but mother was. Taking it he died when you were young...maybe too young to remember... I see it in your eyes - you want his approval, you want to be just like him. But you never mention him...hiding him. You see him as honorable...but the world doesn't. Why is that Gannon?"

"Stop, Stella..."

But of course she keeps going. "You mentioned you were apart of the Followers of the Apocalypse. You mention them like an afterthought though - you carry their creed, but it's not the flag you were was raised under...what are you hiding, Arcade? Running and hiding. You keep looking at the two of us - nervous...almost like you fear us. Not us specifically though - maybe because you see us as NCR. It's almost as if you have ties with an enemy of the NCR..."

"...Stop."

"Nice energy weapon you have there - hadn't seen one like that before and I've seen all kinds. Did you know Enclave fancied energy weapons? Did you know the Followers took in Enclave Remnants? But of course you did. You were born Enclave, weren't you, Arcade?"

Gannon yells as loud as he can, "I said STOP!" He looks distressed as he and Stella stare at each other in silence. She places one hand on his shoulder, hands him her knife and says, "I was only guessing you were Enclave, playing around really. Your reaction tells me I'm right though... but it doesn't matter. We all have our dirty little secrets, Arcade. I don't care if you are Enclave or not. But I know when someone has spent their whole life trying to escape their past. It's written all over your face. It is why the courier could confide in you - because she's spent her whole life doing the same thing."

_"If that's true, then what was she running from, Stella."_

"Only she can tell you that, Boone."

_"No, she can't. She can't remember. But you know. All of this - it's caught up with her, hasn't it."_

"You don't listen, do you."

_"No I listen, but you never say what I want to hear."_

"You're right. I don't." She's silent for a few moments before saying, "A secret for a secret then?"

_"I have no secrets."_

"Yes you do. We all do. I can tell you yours if you would like."

I glance at Gannon - he still looks unsettled but he'll live. _ "You have something to say, then say it. I have nothing to hide."_

"We'll see." She walks behind me and starts speaking in my ear so only I can hear what she's saying. "You're quiet and confident - but you have no real direction or place to go. Spent your whole life quiet. Confidence you learned later. You grew up as the unseen child - just another number, another mouth to feed. Nobody. Ordinary. Others were better at gaining praise and attention from your parents than you weren't they? It's a family you want to forget - going back to them is not an option or you'd be there right now. You joined the NCR and it became your new family, your way out. You didn't go in to be a sniper - but presented with the option you didn't do it for the prestige or the challenge - you told me you did it for the extra pay. You have potential, the NCR saw it but at the time you didn't. You saw yourself as just another name, another face in a sea of soldiers...who could blame you. It was how you were raised. Unseen. But then you became not ordinary - a soldier that shoots a little better than most. Praise, finally after so long. You wanted to keep your new family happy and like any good little soldier they told you what to do and you did it. But you learned the hard way that mentality was a mistake - something happened. Something that caused you to leave the NCR I think. Or maybe they did something to make you lose faith. Or maybe your wife wanted you to leave. OR maybe it's a little bit of all three. You wear the beret not because you want people to think you're NCR or that you're bragging. You wear it because you earned it. You learned it's something that can't be given, and that means more to you than anything anyone might think. It's a part of you now, who you are...something to finally separate you from the pack a little. And you don't care what anyone thinks actually...except for your wife...maybe even the courier. Your secret is that deep down you are lonely, sad, and you think the pain will never go away. You live with it because for some reason, you think you deserve it. You don't want anyone else close to you because you never want to experience the pain of losing someone again. Ever. So you pick up your rifle and do what you do best. But it's not the world you want. But there is no escape from it, is there? Augusta tried to help you escape and is paying the price for it now - and that hell you had to live through is happening all over again. Fira told me how your wife died. I don't have to guess who took the shot. Now, you think you made a mistake that day. You've been telling yourself that she could be here right now had you acted differently. But you're wrong. If she didn't die in there, her spirit would have. She wouldn't have come out the woman that you knew. Maybe a woman who would hate you for letting her living through that. You did the right thing that day - the best thing. You're trying to move on but reliving it all over again - you're on the verge of breaking, but you'd never show it. Things have changed this time. If the time arises and there is only one option left to take, there is a problem. You can't save the courier your way - with a well placed round. She'll simply be reborn and the torment will continue. But wait - there is an option and you've already thought of it. I could make the shot. Fati can only kill fati. Will the time come when you'll ask me to kill my friend, Boone? Kill her to save her? Will I say no? What dark places within your soul are you willing to go in order to make me say yes? What exactly are you willing to do?" I can't move, can barely breathe. But I don't let her see it. Won't give her the satisfaction. I wasn't prepared to hear any of that. She walks away and says, "And if you want my secret, you can tell me what it is..."

The Legionary starts laughing. "She's playing mind games with you fools...manipulating you just like a Frumentarii. That fucking whore is Legion!"

She turns her head toward him, but says calmly, "I'm not Legion." He laughs, "Centurions tie there prisoners like this. She knows about our healing techniques and she's fluent in Latin - who does this sound like to you?"

Gannon turns to me and says, "She is fluent in Latin. Too fluent to have picked it up during her incarceration there."

She says defensively, "And so are you, Gannon. Does that mean you're Legion? If anything it proves that I am not - they only incorporate key phrases into their language - most legionaries are not fluent themselves."

The legionary suddenly starts shaking, on the verge of going unconscious. "_Gannon, give him a hit of Med-X_." After administering the dose and he comes back too, I press the barrel of my AMR at his head. "_Is what she said true? Legionaries only know some Latin and are not really fluent? " _He cringes, but answers. "It is...but there are those we speak it fluently. Frumentarii, officers, SPIES like your friend here...all children are taught it."

_"Children?" _Wait a minute...it can't be. Can it? _"You're right, Stella. I heard what you were saying, but I didn't listen. You won't tell me what Courier is running from...because you already have, didn't you?" _I kneel down in front of the prisoner and say, _"You answer my questions, I'll have my doctor friend here fix your arm and let you go. Don't, and I'll walk away and let my crazy friend here carve pretty pictures into you the rest of the night. Tell me...__how are slave children raised in the Legion?_" He looks at me like I'm crazy but he answers. "The children are taken from their mothers at birth and raised in groups by priestesses. The strongest males are taken at the age of 8 to be begin soldier training. "

_"What if the mother dies during birth?"_

"A blessing from Mars - he sends his best warriors to us through death. The child is given the surname of Marcus in his honor - they go to soldier training without having to prove themselves worthy because they have already made their first kill in the womb."

_"That's boys only. What if the child is a girl?"_

"That's a bad omen - a warning from Mars that defeat in battle is coming. If we sacrifice the child, he'll grant us victory."

No, I can't believe this. How much of that story is true? _"Stella, take off your boots."_

She smiles and says, "Finally. _He knows a seeeeee-cret, he thinks he knows a seeeeee-cret..._" She takes both boots off, then sings 'ring around the rosies' and walks around the prisoner, leaving foot prints in the surrounding sand. He looks down and he goes pale, like he's seen a ghost. The left foot print has a small circle indentation. She briefly lifts her foot to show me the raised circle scar with a dot in the center before putting her boots back on. She kneels next to the prisoner and kisses him on the cheek. His whole body shakes - not from pain like before, but fear. He's hyperventilating and trying to hide it. She laughs, "You can't fake fear like that. And it's not me he fears - he fears the power behind the circle itself."

_"Why the story? Why not just tell me how you and Courier grew up?"_

"Because *you* only believe in what you see. Two legionaries are walking in the Mojave and I tell you to kill them - but you believed in what your saw, your eyes telling you that they were NCR. But when you saw they were Legion, you killed one without thought and have told me twice now to kill this one. What was I supposed to say? Augusta and I were born and raised in the Legion but we're not really Legion? I had to tell you in such a way so you understood the subtlety of the situation."

_"She's the scion then, and you're the conscript._"

"Aye. Her foot will have a crossed out circle - next time you see her you can check yourself. The High Priestess is Mala. She is still crazy and powerful and she just got her favorite toy back. Oh the fun she is having with her right now. This is a dangerous game you're choosing to join. Spare yourself this journey - leave Fati business to the Fati and walk away."

_"You know I won't do that. Why do you keep trying to talk me out of this. What are you not telling me?"_

"Because I sense this path we're taking is riddled with trial and pain for you - you're going to experience things you wish you never had, gain knowledge you wish you never learned. She walked away from you for a reason - to spare you. Plus she's at her strongest when she's alone. Any attachment she has for you will only make things worse for her. All Fati have a strength that defines them. I am 'she who's will can not be broken', but the Scion is 'she who can escape anything.' You' have spent time with her - you must see that truth. She's escaped Mala and the Legion before...she'll do it again. We just have to give her time."

"_No. Something's changed...I can feel it_. _She would have been back by now._"

"You're right - she'll never escape. She's wearing a sleeper collar," says the legionary. What the fuck did he just say? Collar? I look at Stella and Gannon and both are just as confused as me.

Gannon asks, "What's a sleeper collar? A slave collar?"

"No - something worse. Untie me now and I'll tell you. It's no loss to you - I'm as good as dead anyways. I can't go back to the Legion - they'll see I've been tortured and they'll kill me. We're not exactly supposed to be taken alive. The NCR was the worst cover I've ever had to work - I'd rather be a Strip prostitute than go back there..."

"_Untie him, Stella."_

"WHAT? Are you crazy?"

I aim my AMR at her. "_I might not be able to kill you, but I'm pretty sure I can shoot off something that won't grow back._" She smirks, and reluctantly unties him. Gannon examines the man's arm, resets it, and bandages it up. Now that he's patched back up and breathing easier, he says_, _"We found an old vault back east. Caesar had us blow it up, but what most don't know is that before that he sent us in to investigate...to see if there was anything useful inside. The vault inhabitants were a part of a social experiment to see if hardened criminals could co-exist peacefully in a law-abiding society. The criminals wore specially designed Vault-Tec control collars, constructed using the same technology they used in pip-boys. The collar has no outer locking mechanism so it can't be picked. It was designed to never come off - it only opens if the wearer's heart stops beating. When the wearer slips into their eternal "sleep," the collar sleeps as well which is how they came up with the name. Each can link to a single pip-boy, as each prisoner was linked to a specific citizen. If a prisoner killed their pip-boy wearing counterpart, it would send a signal to the collar to detonate. The experimenters anticipated a type of slave/master relationship would develop and they were right, but not in the way they anticipated. The criminals were smart enough to never harm those who they were partnered with, but they would kidnap another pip-boy wearer to control another prisoner. Soon, all citizens were locked down and treated as property by the criminals they were linked with. They were weak, docile and didn't know what to do so they ended up as sheep being rounded up by wolves. A society run by criminals eventually consumed itself, and everyone died. The vault had been raided of pip-boys long ago but we found a few spare collars, thought we could use them for troublesome slaves but we had no pip-boy detonator...until the courier showed up."

I snatch him to his feet and wrap my hands around his neck, _"You bastards put her in one of those things!" _He gasps and grabs at my wrists as I start squeezing his throat closed. Stella says, "Find out who's wearing the pip-boy. Don't forget - he can't answer if he can't breathe, Boone." I ease my grip up enough for him to answer,_ "You heard her - answer the question!"_ He gasps for air and says, "She has four Praetorian guards. Their lead wears it - that's all I know."

_"How do we get the collar off?"  
_

"There is no way - they weren't designed to come off..."

_"There must be a way to take it off! Tell me how!"_

"I don't know...I swear I don't know! If there was a way, that knowledge was lost when we blew the vault up." I throw him back down to the ground. I want to beat this guy into next week but I stop myself. I can't believe this is happening. How the hell are we supposed to get her out of that? I yell at him,_ "GO! Go before I change my mind!" _ He pauses for a second then gets up and runs off. I pull out the pocket watch, flip it open and watch the seconds hand race around in circles. Time is not your enemy she said. You are. Carla and Courier, both taken by the Legion with no chance of escape. This is my fault. Bad things always come to those I care about. Whatever it is that's following me isn't done yet...it'll never be done with me. Stella's right - I'll never escape it...no matter how hard I try.

Stella watches the Legionary running off and as soon as he gets 200 or so yards away she yawns, "You shooting him now?"

I put the watch back in my pocket and say,_ "Yeah."_

Gannon has a puzzled look on his face. "But you said he could go free..."

_"I said he could go - I never said I'd let him live. H__e's a Frumentarii - a trained manipulator and intelligence officer. He'll kill someone, take their head back to the Legion with an NCR cover on and make up some story to make himself look like the hero. But that's not going to happen. And you were wrong, Stella. I didn't join the NCR so they could pat me on the head like an attention needy child. I joined to make a difference, to change things and make them better. Just like I'm going to do right now. _ I take this one life - god only knows how many lives I can save down the road." I raise up my rifle, lean in, take a quick breath, then squeeze. I'm hit with the burning smell of gunpowder as I watch a cloud of red vapor appear then fade just as fast in the distance. The headless body of the man falls to the ground. Another dead legionary...I've done this a thousand times...and I'll do it a thousand more.


	10. Chapter 10: Retribution

_Author's notes: Last chapter I said Courier was traveling with four Centurions. This is wrong - she's traveling with 4 Praetorians (went ahead and updated the chapter), so my bad for any confusion._

_This chapter is courier only, the next chapter focuses on Boone (I think everyone's fav anyways) and I'll be releasing that in a few days (still wordsmithing). I originally had them together, but I am trying to go with smaller chapters. Previous chapter (Boone) took place a night - this chapter (Courier) takes place earlier during the daylight part of that same day. Picks up exactly where we left off with the Courier last time. Thanks to everyone for the feedback! Have at least few references to the Art of War in here - so props to Sun Tzu. Hope everyone enjoys it and again, please excuse any spelling/grammar errors!_

* * *

**Act II, CHAPTER Ten: Retribution  
**

* * *

**[Courier - PRESENT - Traveling within Legion Territory]**

_I open my eyes. I'm sitting on my knees. The room is circular...there is bedding for two here. The walls are moving...this is a tent. Where am I? I look down and see a nearby mirror. My reflection is blurred, distorted...but from the little that I can make out, I look younger...late teens maybe. It's unusually dim in here - almost like a dark fog is hanging in the air. It's hard to breathe. I hear someone pacing behind me - the voice of a woman. I have the feeling we spend a lot of time in discussion in here. She says, "Tell me the tenants again."_

_I say without thought, "A king needs five things: the confidence or the fear of his people, a general to manage his armies and campaigns, advisers to maintain and grow his kingdom, an heir, or his crown will be handed to a fool, and a code of tenants to keep his rule. The first tenant: a kingdom must never show weakness. If a king shows illness or frailty, his heirs will expedite his death. If a king asks for aid from the people, the people will lose confidence. If a king requests anything from a neighboring kingdom, they will see it as a weakness and will soon make plans for attack. Weak kings will always be too open and ask, strong kings will always hide weakness and take. The second tenant: A kingdom is only as strong as it's general. A bad general will weaken the strongest of armies. A king with a weak army will not keep his kingdom. A good general is essential for a kingdom to flourish. The third tenant: know and understand your enemy. They lie in wait outside the kingdom, but they will always have ears inside the kingdom. Our enemy will be nowhere, but be everywhere.."  
_

_"Wait," the woman interrupts. "What are the tenants for taking an empire down?" _

_I pause briefly before asking, "Taking down...as in take over or destroy?"  
_

_"It does not matter."  
_

_Yes it does. But I know to hold my tongue. I ask, "A specific enemy you had in mind?" _

_"The enemy does not matter." _

_I think for a few moments before saying, "To take an enemy down - you must know your enemy. The first thing to do is institute a network of spies. They must be loyal...well paid. And fear retribution for failure and betrayal. Once established, listen to the news they bring. Seek weakness and points of attack from their observations. Exploit any mistrust amongst their own circles, especially heirs. Those will tear a kingdom apart..."_

_"Wait. A network of spies makes sense. So why are we not doing this with our own enemies then?"_

_"But we are..."_

_"No - our girls should be taking more active roles in their society. They need to get in deeper. We will learn more quicker if we do."_

_There is a voice in my head telling me to suggest placing three of our own as a trial, knowing it will fail. Just appease the woman...but another voice shouts that we have to stop throwing our own kind to the wolves just to make one person happy. Our numbers are dwindling. I say, "That would be a mistake. Our kind is too easily identified - we structured it that way." I look down at what I am wearing - a long black dress with a white circle stitched on the front. I drag my finger tips along the path of the circle, then look up and say," They see us, they fear us."  
_

_"You doubt my plan?"  
_

_"No, of course not. I..." Before I can finish, everything gets suddenly darker...almost like a black mist. It's even harder to breathe now. I start to feel too weak to move and start coughing for air. The woman is standing in front of me. She wears a long black cloak with the same circle on the front - looks almost like she is floating. Her face is blurred, but I can identify the anger in her voice. "Do you need a reminder of what happens when you lie to ME?"  
_

_Thankfully, I hear a young girl's voice shouting outside the tent. "Intruder...we have caught an intruder!" The mist dissipates and I gasp for air for a few short moments before getting back on my feet. I stagger to the entrance of the tent and cough, "Intruder? Where are they now?"_

_"He's held at the meeting area." An intruder? Here? This whole situation is bad all around. I look to the woman and she waves her hand for me to go. I take a step to leave when I suddenly feel pins and needles in my shoulder... I feel the grip of her hand there. "We will continue this conversation when you return. Find out why they violated our boundaries today. And then...make an example of them so it won't happen again."_

_I wheeze, "Your word will be done," and leave. I'm led through a maze of mangled brown tents until we finally reach him. The prisoner is being held away from the living area... a large flat circle of dirt surrounded by at least 20 small boxes - used for seating I assume. He's tied to a post that's located in the center of the circle, his clothes have been removed. He hangs his head low - looks like he's taken quite a beating. Three girls are standing around him like sentries. Wait...young girls standing guard? I say to the messenger, "Bring me Marcus." She runs off and returns a short while later with what looks like a teenage boy with short fair colored hair in a brown, tunic-like soldiers uniform. The face is blurred..but I can tell it's not the same Marcus that I'm traveling with. Someone else. He's covered in sweat and dirt - I can tell he's not happy that I've called him. I pull out a knife and throw it to him. "This man infiltrated our camp today. Find out why." He catches the blade, and says, "Tell me you're joking!" I stare at him and say nothing. He glares at me and says, "__You've seriously called me here for this of all things? _I just got back! You know how little time I have here before I have to return to training..."

_I ask sternly, "Are you defying Her command?"_

_He throws the blade to the ground in anger, and yells, "No! I am defying a lazy, ill-bred, light in the ass liar! She didn't order me here. YOU did!"_

_Damn him! He is always causing problems, never doing as he's told. I have grown tired of this game. I yell back, "And MY word IS her word! Pick up that blade and do what you do best." We stare each other down for a few moments - I can see the anger in his face. He eventually bends over and picks up the blade...and with all his strength, he hurls it at the prisoner. It goes straight into his lower abdomen. The prisoner yells out in pain, blood spurting everywhere. He's not going to live long unless someone does something. I turn to Marcus and yell, "You FOOL! What have you done? I said interrogate him!" _

_He yells back, "You said to do what I do best...and that would be to kill! I am not trained to take prisoners!" I point to one of the guard and frantically yell, "Quick, fall on your blade so we may reverse this." Wait...what did I just tell her to do? _

_She looks at me nervously. Her hand is shaking as she pulls her knife out - I can see she doesn't want to do this, but I can see she fears disobeying more. She stabs herself in the chest. She cries out in pain, wheezes and sputters and after a few minutes eventually falls to the ground and dies - but I'm surprised for some reason. Something was supposed to happen...but it didn't. I run over to the girl, now lying in a black pool of blood, to check her pulse. Nothing. I point at the other two guard and tell them to do the same. Marcus yells, "Wait! Don't!" But it's too late - they listened to me and not him. They fall to the ground and after a few minutes bleed out and die just like the first. Again...nothing happened. I am panicked for some reason. We both are...something is wrong. Marcus walks around the bodies. He kneels down over one and says, "I...I don't understand. How can this be?" I don't know. This shouldn't have happened. This is all wrong...but that is not what I say. "It must have be Fortuna's will." _

_I look up and he's glaring at me...like I could do something about it. He says, "Reverse it, Augusta. Reverse it and I'll do as you say - I'll interrogate your prisoner. No need for three to die today. Our numbers are low enough as it is." In my heart, I know he is right...but word of what transpired here will get back to Her. If he had only complied with what I asked earlier...all of this could have been avoided. But now...I have to make an example, teach him a lesson to keep others from taking his lead...from getting punished myself. I stand up and say, "I will do nothing. Fortuna willed them dead, and we will accept that loss..."_

_"As I have always thought - our lives mean nothing to you. Tell me - how many more would you be willing to watch die in the name of cleaning up YOUR mess then?"_

_"YOUR mess you mean! And this conversation is over, Marcus! I'll go inform Her the prisoner died and be done with this! Don't worry - I will send three more for you to train to replace these three.." As I walk away he yells, "Misfortune upon you! Fortuna will damn you for your actions today! And if she won't - then I will."_

_I turn and say, "You will them to live that badly then? If Fortuna indeed made your will so strong that it can't be broken...then you do it. Be reborn. Oh - that's right. You're never had to try. It should work though ... as well as it did for these three I assume." He frowns at me, pulls out the blade from the girl's chest and nervously aims the blade at his heart. His hands are shaking. I laugh at him, "Some general you'll turn out to be! You have the hesitation of a coward!" He gives me an angry look then plunges it into his chest. He yells out in pain, collapses to the ground and then a quick flash of white light..._

_I'm standing away from Marcus again. The knife is on the ground by his feet where he threw it earlier. I look and see the prisoner is still alive as are the three guard. The young man grasps at his chest and falls to his knees. I laugh at him in his agony. While he's down, I run over, grab the knife from the ground and raise it to his throat. "Why are you so lucky, huh? Three die and you can't be one of them just once, just for me? You want to die for good this time? Interrogate the prisoner now, Marcus. Find out why they infiltrated our stay and keep him alive this time." He knocks me back as he stands up, grabs my wrist, trapping my bladed hand and twists my arm behind my back. He pulls me close and whispers, "Tell me, can any of your tenants and rules save you from the blade of a coward?" I swallow nervously as he holds the blade up to my neck now. He says calmly, "How about I teach you a lesson even an Augusta can understand. There is only one tenant of war - that all warfare is based on deception. Appear weak when you are strong - appear to have your guard down and crush your enemy when they attack. Oh no, Augusta - YOU'RE the lucky one. Lucky I don't show you the true meaning of retribution." He pushes me down to the ground and stands over me. I look up as he says, "You and I are on equal footing whether you want to accept that or not. If you want something done - you better learn to ask nicely." He walks over to the prisoner. He kneels down in front of him, looks at me briefly before tapping the prisoner with the flat side of the knife. He looks at the man and says, "Your choice: talk or play? But I should warn you before you chose...I know a seeeeecreeet, a dirty little seeeeecreeet. I know a secret about yooooouuuuuu..."_

_...  
_

I open my eyes...in real life this time. I'm sitting on the ground, legs crossed...I must have fallen asleep. What the fuck was all that about...even my dreams are crazy now. I glance over my shoulder to see my new Legion friends are standing a short distance away. No idea what they're doing over there really other than I know Lunaris is cleaned up and back on his feet. Not happy about that one...but from watching him I can tell he's not moving the same. He's still in pain. Better keep my guard up on that one - I know his type. He'll want payback I'm sure.

Marcus gave me an hour to spend "with my gods"...I know that time has to be up soon. I try to relax, clear my mind, enjoy my last few moments,...just breathe. I feel my collar pinching me and then I hear a familiar voice: "What are you still doing here with the Legion? These are bad people." I look up and see my imaginary Gannon standing over me. His arms are crossed and he has a look of disappointment in his face. I say to him, "Did you fucking see what they did to that prick Lunaris earlier? I can tell you right now - that's not going to be me! I'm not fucking doing anything. They tell me to jump, I'm going to ask how high. I don't need to be pissing blood for a week..."

He replies sternly, "This isn't the Courier I know. She would have figured a way to get out of this by now. You were always good at using what you had...finding a way. You're not even trying. You've given up."

I sigh, "Accepting the reality of my situation isn't the same as giving up. Even if you say it is and you call me a coward, I really don't care. The truth is the tech in this collar is advanced - too advanced for my knowledge. I wouldn't be surprised if it could read my thoughts and detonates the second my brain figures out how to get it off. This situation... is impossible to escape."

"Nothing is impossible - look harder." WHY does he have to be so difficult? I scowl and look at what I have...which is nothing. No gear bag - they made me leave that. No weapons. Just four assholes who are itching to stomp me into next week if I give them any problems. God, I could use a drink. Gannon rolls his eyes and says, "Alright - you're clearly not thinking. The one called Lunaris - he punches you with all his strength in the stomach and what happened?"

"Nothing."

"Right - you felt nothing. Hello? Is your brain working today? Think like the Legion thinks - how do they like to fight?"

I turn my head and look at them briefly. "Hand to hand - they think being dependent on guns makes you weak."

"Right - and you're no good at hand to hand. Barely capable with a pistol - everyone knows this. See that rusty can over there? Pick it up."

"Barely capable with a pistol? What the hell do you mean everyone knows this?"

"We don't have time for this, Courier! Just do as I say and trust me on this!"

"Oh, I'll grab the can alright - but you're going to answer some questions when we're done, you son of a ..." I look over my shoulder at the Praetorians - they look occupied. I inch over a bit, lean forward, and pick up the rusted can. "Got it."

Gannon says, "Good. Now, squeeze it as hard as you can."

"You want me to squeeze a tin can?"

"Yes, that's what I just said!"

"Oh okay...that's what I thought you said. Because nobody can crush a tin can. Just confirming I'm listening to hallucinations that are more delusional than me right now... "

"Shut up and crush the damn can." I sigh but relent to his request. If I cut my hand and bleed to death...well, there's that I guess. I squeeze the can as hard as I can, imagining it's a smaller version of him...and to my surprise, it bends in my hand. I look at him wide-eyed and gasp, "Wait...was that a real tin can or an imaginary tin can?"

"Would you stop with the sarcasm and be serious for once! That's exactly what I thought would happen. The Legion didn't take your weapons away. They gave you something that *they* would consider a weapon. The suit makes you stronger, do you see? Made you more resistant to damage which is why you didn't feel the blow. I bet you're slightly faster too - probably can't sneak as much as with a regular assassin's suit, but I'm sure they knew you could compensate."

I shake my head. This can't be right. "If I'm stronger, then how did two of them hold me down earlier?"

"Did you even try to pull free?"

Okay. He got me there. "...No... But it doesn't make sense...why give me a suit that makes me stronger if I'm a prisoner. Why would anyone do that?"

"Maybe because you're not a prisoner."

"Then what am I?"

He frowns, "We'll have time to figure that out later. Let's focus on getting you out of that collar first. Behind you are four Praetorians - even with the suit, they know you can't take them out all at once. So what is the best way for you to take them out?"

God, why am I listening to him? I think for a second and say, "For me specifically...I have a better chance if I do it individually - one at a time."

"Right. Now would you stop fucking around and do it!"

"But Marcus..."

"...has the pip-boy, I know. You have to keep him alive - you should be able to handle one Praetorian. Whatever you do - tackle him last. Take the other 3 out first. If you go for Marcus first by taking him hostage - they'll just kill him...and you. Lure them one at a time and then take Marcus."

"No. This isn't a plan - it's a suicide mission. If I fuck it up - and there is a high probability of that I might add - they'll kill me."

Gannon leans in, places his hand on my shoulder and says, "Courier - if you don't try, you'll die anyways. Don't forget the lesson you learned from Benny. As soon as they get what they want out of you whatever that may be...they'll kill you." I watch as Gannon fades away. He's right...he's absolutely right. I just have to figure out how to get each one alone...that's the real trick. After a few moments, I stand up and the four turn their attention to me. I smile and point at a large area of brush. "I'm going over there to take a piss. Who wants to watch?" Marcus motions Falx to escort me and I start walking.

This is the stupidest plan ever...

We walk over. I'm leading, he's following. The second I get behind the brush out of sight, I kneel down and kick on my stealth-boy. He walks around to watch me and his eyes get that 'where the fuck is she' big. He starts looking around frantically. Now fucking what. I see Gannon standing beside me. He runs his finger along the side of his jaw. "Ever heard of a glass jaw? This is the trigeminal nerve. You hit someone here, you can knock them out. Suppose you hadn't done much boxing..." I sneak over to Falx, make a fist and hit him square in the jaw. He takes the impact and doesn't go down. I'm panicked now. Before he can react I punch him two more times as hard as I can in the same spot. This time he goes down. I can't believe that actually worked. I go through his clothing to see if I can find anything to tie him up with. I find miscellaneous crap that won't help me - some healing powder, food, a few denarii. Nothing for tying. I find a pocket on the inside of his uniform - a small photo of him standing next to a young woman. I don't recognize the location but I do recognize the style of clothing and a Great Khan symbol tagged on a wall in the background. So he is a Khan. He looks younger in this pic - and happy. Was he hiding this? I put the picture in my pocket and notice Scipio is walking up now. He walks around just out of sight of the other two and sees Falx lying knocked out on the ground. I pound him in the side of his jaw before he can do anything. He goes down as well. I check his gear and he has duct tape - my lucky day. I use the tape to bind their hands and feet. Two down, two to go. A few more minutes pass - Marcus and Lunaris are walking over now. Should have figured they would...this is going to be difficult with two. I turn off my stealth boy and hide it just in case things don't work out - can't risk them knowing I have it. I duck out of sight and wait. The second Lunaris sees the bodies, he runs up and I jump out and clock him one good time. He had that coming. He falls to the ground...I look over and see Marcus staring me down. I expected he'd react with anger, but he's calm...too calm. With a completely straight face he says, "There are better ways to gain my affections, courier."

I slowly walk in his direction. I say, "It's just you and me now, Marcus. Unlock my collar."

"You know I won't do that. The collar remains until Caesar commands it be removed."

"Do you really require three guard and a slave collar to control one woman? Seems a bit excessive to me...unless Caesar doesn't feel you can manage on your own."

He smirks, "Watch your tongue, courier...unless you enjoy the idea of it being removed. Caesar's decision was based on your merit, not mine. *You* are a known liar and a thief."

"I have sworn loyalty to the Legion - that is not taken lightly by anyone. Everyone knows the penalty for breaking their oath. Only a fool would do that."

"And is this is how you show your loyalty? By overtaking my men?" As I get closer I hear the subtle squeal of his ballistic fist powering up. He's calling my bluff. I stop advancing and say, "It would have been easy to kill them - but I didn't. All I want is to be free of this collar, Marcus. Nothing more."

He laughs, "Are you saying you spared their lives for me? You actually think I'll be swayed by that? You've dishonored all three of them today - subdued so easily by a woman no less. Killing them would have done us all a favor." He looks at them lying on the ground and shakes his head. "Now...you've created a problem for them...for me...and for yourself. Everybody pays today...even I when we arrive to Lanius' camp behind schedule. You understand penalties are harsh for disobedience and failure...or at least you will learn that today...what retribution means in the Legion."

If there is one thing I've learned in life is that when a Legionary starts talking about retribution, then the conversation is officially over. I rush toward him and as soon as I'm within striking range, I start throwing punches. All of them connect... but it's like I didn't hit him at all. He didn't even bother to dodge either. He grabs my fist mid-punch, twists and traps my arm behind my back...just like in my dream. I try to pull free but all the strength I had earlier...it's like it's left my body. Like it was never there. I...I don't understand. Gannon said the suit made me strong and it did...was he wrong? He pulls me close to him, twisting my arm until I yell out in pain. He eases up a bit, but I still can't break free from his grip. I'm gasping for air - I'm winded and the stupid collar is making it hard to breathe. He whispers in my ear, "We have a saying in the Legion - the size of a person in a fight matters less than the size of the fight within them. The ability to push on, to keep going against all odds - the will of a person is what makes them dangerous. Someone with the will to fight and no skill to do so will most certainly lose. But with good fortune, they can win. Are you such a fool to think you could use my own luck against me, Augusta?"

I yell in anger, "What are you talking about?"

"You really think you could fight those three and win all on your own without any help? I have to admit - you surprised me today, courier. At first I didn't think you had the will to escape. But from all that I have heard about you, I knew you would eventually try. I underestimated you - your attempt came sooner than I expected. Far sooner. So few people have the will to challenge their situation. Their fear of pain and consequence controls them. They are the easiest to re-mold because their will is already broken. But easy means no challenge, no game. But they're not like you, are they?" He runs his hand around my waist and pulls me into him and says, "I think I'm going to enjoy every second we spend together, courier. I'm going to bet you have... a delightful scream." Oh, fuck this psychopath. I try to fight free but he just laughs and twists my arm even more. I see Lunaris is coming to. He gets on his feet and looks at us. Marcus yells, "Order rescinded." The order not to lay a finger on me, no doubt. Lunaris smiles as he runs up and hits me square in the face. Motherfucking trigeminal nerve...everything goes black.

...

I wake up face down in the Mojave sand. My arms are stretched up out and tethered down. My feet are tied together - I can't get up. I can't move. The top part of my assassin's suit has been pulled down to around my waist and the back of my undershirt has been cut so my back is bare. It feels slightly blistered from the sun. Fuck.. Marcus is kneeling over me and says, "Good. You're finally awake. Didn't want you to miss out on any of the fun."

My heart is beating out of my chest now...oh fucking no. I've heard the stories of what they do to women. I want no part of their 'fun'. He says, "There is a rite of passage for all Praetorians that serve under me, did you know? Scipio, show her what I mean." I get nervous as he starts pulling off his armor. When his chest is completely bare, he turns around. The whole of his back is covered in scars. A series of symbols have been cut into his back and scarred over. I start to feel faint. Only one reason why they are showing me this...I'm not that slow. "You see - the five of us are going to be working together for a very, very long time. And we feel that we should make you an honorary Praetorian. So you have a more feeling of belonging, a part of the pack. To understand us better. Your actions today indicate that you do not feel like a part of our group. We need to fix that. Falx."

I see Falx from the corner of my eye and feel him rubbing in a warm paste into my back. No, no, no...I feel like I'm going to throw up. Falx glares at me for a moment before placing a rolled up piece of leather in my mouth for biting down on. No doubt - he's pissed about what happened or he's figured out who has his missing picture. I see Marcus pull out a knife and suddenly the old woman appears out of thin air. Falx, Scipio, and Lunaris step back from her but Marcus...he glances at her as if annoyed. They can see her? I thought...I was imaging her all this time. She looks down at me, then at the knife in Marcus' hand and says, "What do you think you are doing?"

"This doesn't concern you."

She yells angrily, "It doesn't concern me?" Tendrils of black mist flow and wrap around her body...kind of like in my dream. No, it can't be... Her voice gets angrier and the mist starts to spread. "I have searched for her for years...YEARS, Marcus! I can ill afford you killing her." The three Praetorians step further away from her but Marcus doesn't move. They...really fear her. But not Marcus.

She grits her teeth and says, "You do this, and you'll make her an enemy - she'll never lead us to what we want." He smiles. "You're wrong. If I don't do this - she'll lead us astray. This will bind her to me forever - she'll never forget this day even if she wants to. This won't kill her - but it will make her stronger. By the time I'm done with her, her loyalty will be ours. But you have to let me do it *my* way."

Her anger seems to subside and the black mist fades. She reaches into her dress, pulls out a small device...it fits snugly in the palm of her hand and has a single button on it. She presses it and everything becomes curved and distorted for a split second, like we were just hit by an invisible wave of something...like looking at the world through a drinking glass. No one seems phased by this except me. She says, "Setting the meridian for caution's sake. You better be right about this." The old woman looks at me and smirks, "Welcome back to the family," before taking a step back and disappearing again. Family?

Marcus turns his attention toward me again. I look to my right and I see a man kneeling beside me...another hallucination. I don't know him though. An older man with short fair colored hair and a beard. He's wearing a soldier's uniform similar to what the boy Marcus was wearing in my dream. I look at it compared to what the Praetorians are wearing...it looks pre-Legion in design. Oh God...

He says, "Augusta, we don't have much time. I need you to look at me. Forget them - concentrate on your breathing and stay focused on me!"

_"Who are you?_" He hears my thoughts and responds, "I am Vero, father of Marcus Solarius and first protectorii of the Belli and of you... the Augusta." Vero...means in truth. Whoever he is...my mind must have wanted me to listen to him. I ask him, _"You know me then?"_

"Yes, when you were younger..but now is not the time for questions..."

Marcus starts walking toward me. I look at Vero and plead to him, "_...please tell me. Am I Legion?"_

"Now is not..."

_"PLEASE TELL ME! ...I have to know!"_

He lays his hand on mine...not that I can feel it. He answers, "Yes," and with that one word I hear a thousand voices in my head scream out at once and I feel my soul withering and dying inside me. My worst nightmare is true...and nightmares I haven't even had yet are coming to fruition around me...and there is nothing I can do about it because I deserve it. I am the bad guy - and retribution has finally found me. The voice of the Vero snaps me back to reality as he continues, "...which means nothing compared to the woman you have become. Leave this! Don't let it own you. There are worse things to be dealing with right now, Augusta!" Marcus is standing over me now, and I catch the glimmer of his blade. I look back at Vero who says, "I have trained many soldiers to defeat interrogation and torture rather than succumbing to it. But you've had no such conditioning - I won't lie to you, Augusta. This will be bad, but you WILL survive this - do not focus on the pain. Focus on me! No matter what they do... keep your eyes on me, Augusta!" I'm overcome with fear now, and Vero knows it. He reassures as much as he can by saying, "I'm not going anywhere - I'm going to be here with you the entire time. You are not alone here. But you have to focus your breathing. Focus on me!" I manage to nod and steady my breathing.

And then... Marcus began the marking.


	11. Chapter 11: Trial by Three

_Author's notes: Soulstealer/Boone this time around. This chapter takes place where we left off with Boone last time. Could use some more polish, but figured I'd just kick this out there so I can move on. Next chapter BIG BIG things happen (conclusion of act 2 - may have to break it up if it gets too big). Hope everyone enjoys this and again, please excuse any spelling/grammar errors!_

* * *

**Act II, CHAPTER Eleven: Trial by Three  
**

* * *

**[Soulstealer]**

He stands upon the ridge high above the Imperator slaver camp. Using his enchanted bow, he looks down and sees all the soldiers, all the prisoners...his wife. He watches her for a moment before taking the shot. When it is finally done, he lowers his weapon, and drops to his knees in exhaustion. His hardened face stares at the ground silently for a few moments as his heart races in his chest. As he focuses on catching his breath, he manages to whisper, _"Never can I escape this place._" And as if responding to his words, all goes quiet and the landscape fades completely to black. He is surrounded by a dark void with a single white light shining upon him. His breath quickens once again as he jumps to his feet and looks around vigilantly, remembering events not going in his favor last time he was here. And then...a solitary voice beside him says, "I see I am not the only one who wonders how they ended up here..."

He turns to see the emissary sitting on the ground next to him, a glass barrier that extends upwards farther than the eye can see is surrounding her. She stares forward, as if looking at something...but there is nothing there. He kneels down and puts his hand on the glass in an attempt to connect with her in some way. He asks desperately, "_Where are you? Have they hurt you? What have they done to you?"_

Her answer is detached, continuing to look into the shadow of the void. "Where am I? I am everywhere. Or am I nowhere? Have they hurt me? Or are they making me stronger? What have they done to me?... They made my will their will. I am the voice of the Imperium, it's message and it's messenger." Her eyes drift to him as she says, "Or am I?"

His stone face looks more grim than normal as he says, "_Why are you speaking in riddles?_"

She ignores the question and asks, "Why are you here and not with your wife and child? Did something happen? I hope her being with child did not cause problems between you...I assure you, it was something that she could not have helped."

Offended by her comment, he replies harshly, "_I would have done the honorable thing and taken her new child as my own if it were actually my wife you freed._" She turns her head sharply toward him, her attention totally on him now. He sees the shock in her eyes as she says, "What did you say?"

"_The woman you freed was not my wife. It was a deception for reasons I do not fully understand...but my wife is dead. It was only her name that lived on with another._"

Still stunned, she manages to stutter, "A deception?... I can't believe it, I...Why...why would that do such a thing?" And then as if realizing something, her face becomes more somber as she looks back at him and says," I'm truly sorry it was not her, Soulstealer."

He says, "I should have never let them seed doubt in my mind. You were only trying to help, and look at all the problems I have caused you. I have been traveling with Star and the wizard. We know you are trapped, and are trying to find a way to free you."

She looks stunned again, then starts frantically shaking her head as she says,"Wait...what? No. NO! You need to walk away from this, Soulstealer. Forget this. Forget me."

"_I can't do that...I can't leave you to them._"

"Of course you can. It's simple really... Turn around. Walk away."

"_You honestly wish me to leave you to them?_"

"And if I said yes...would you?"

_"Of course not_."

She looks away irritated, her eyes entranced by something in the distance again. She bites her thumb as she murmurs to herself as if talking to others, but he can not make out the words. After a few moments, she turns back toward him and says, "Of course you wouldn't." She stands up, places her hand where his is on the barrier, and says, "You walk this path with me, you will have to face truth and finally see events as they have happened, not as your mind has led you to believe. Are you ready to awaken and be free after all this time? To live your life in peace...finally?"

"_What do you mean? Peace? I accepted a long time ago that there is no such thing as peace for men like me_." His face of stone fades away as he looks upon her wistfully. "_And I will awaken from this dream soon enough._"

"No...I don't mean this dream, Soulstealer...but THE dream. The one that consumes your life right now. Do you remember this?" She pulls her hand down from his, and points to the ground in front of him. There is a scroll lying there. He picks it up and opens it. It's blank. He holds it up and sees the flashes of light that slowly form words. He recognizes the witch's incantation. He closes the scroll and says bitterly, "_I remember..It is not a memory I'd like to be revisit_."

"I know this is difficult, but please...reopen the scroll and let the light shine on it from above normally - so you may see it for what it really is." He stares at her for a moment before reluctantly looking upon the scroll again. To his surprise, this time it's changed. It's not blank. There is writing in black ink...a letter. He starts to read and his breath quickens, unbelieving the words. His face tries to change back to stone, but it flickers back to normal. He can't hide the emotional pain that's rushing through him. He can't breathe, can't move, and the scroll falls from his hand and turns to dust when it hits the ground. He manages to whisper, "_Where did you get this?"_

"It's been here all along. There was never an incantation, Soulstealer. It was always this. The witch found it that night, kept it safe until you were ready to accept the words...accept the truth. She was only trying to help..."

He says angrily, "_No! She betrayed my wife! She wouldn't have..._"

"I know this is hard to accept. But it is the truth."

He points to the pile of dust and says, "_No, it isn't! *I* know what happened_!"

The emissary has a solemn look in her eye as she says, "Of course you do... You went to your guard post that night, returned and found your wife was missing. You thought something bad had happened, and started desperately searching for her. After hours of tracking you finally found her, but...what you saw, you couldn't believe."

"_The Imperium took her!"_

"No, Soulstealer...she left you for another man."

He has the look of a man who's been punched in the stomach and is fighting for air. He shakes his head and says, "_No! She would have never!_"

"His cloth was of the Imperium, but he had escaped that life...arrived in your town just weeks before, but you hadn't noticed. Gained the affections of your wife while you slumbered during the day. It was too easy really... she wasn't happy."

"_NO, she loved me, our life together!"_

"That's true...but she hated that town. And the whole town knew it...for whatever reason, you chose not see it. She left with him to return to the City of Lights, so they could start a life together. She left you that note - telling you that she was sorry, that she didn't want to hurt you...but she wanted to be happy as well. It was her good-bye to you. But you never saw her words."

Doubt starts to sneak into his mind, but he pushes it aside and grasps at the truth he remembers. "_No, there was no note. Our home was in disarray - there were signs of a struggle.._."

"You ignored the note she left like you ignored the fact that all her belongings were also gone when you returned! But you couldn't ignore what you saw... the two of them together. She wasn't struggling was she? You figured out real quick what was happening...but you don't remember these details. It's because your mind broke that night and for a second...madness consumed you. You lost control."

Anger swells inside him now. _"No! I know what happened that night! Don't you dare desecrate her death with lies!"_

But the emissary shakes her head and yells, "I desecrate nothing! You drew your bow in rage and without thought you took the shot... killed them both. Not to save her out of love, but to make her feel your pain. You desecrated her yourself!"

_"I loved my wife! I would have never..."_

"What? You would have never killed her...unless you had to?" Soulstealer glares at her. He is full of fury and on the brink of losing all control now but the emissary keeps pushing him on. "If you won't believe me, then believe your own eyes. They can't hide the truth any longer. Not in this realm." The landscape changes to what it was before. He's standing on the ridge line again. He draws his bow and looks to the world below. He knows in his heart what he will see, but the Imperator slaver camp is gone now. There are no soldiers. He looks around frantically until he sees a man and a woman walking...holding hands. He sees they are laughing. She leans over and kisses him on the cheek, and they both smile at each other. It is his wife. The Soulstealer yells out in anguish as his bow drops from his hand and the landscape returns to shadow.

He stares at the ground as anger surrenders to doubt once again. Her voice is calm as she says, "Do you finally see? Accept it or not, Soulstealer - your mind was never the same after that. It started inventing things and changing events to help you deal with what happened, what you had done. You ran across a group of Imperator soldiers on your return home that night. You imposed your hate of the man who gained the heart of your wife on to them...on to all of them. You slayed them all. Their death's gave you purpose, gave you focus. But that wasn't enough, was it? You didn't know where to go after that and you were searching for a reason to leave...any reason. So your mind invented the catalyst you wanted - someone with a reason to travel to your town...an emissary. One without a past. A person seeking vendetta... just like you. But I wasn't real. I was the projection of your own need for vengeance, the representative your mind created to push you out of the town you once called home to walk into the world to keep feeding that fire within you. A way to get more Imperator soldier deaths under your belt - something to keep you taking one step in front of another while you made them all pay. But I was never real. I have always been a creation of your imagination."

_"No, you are real -_ "

"Look at the situation itself - it makes no sense! What woman walks around with no name, no friends or ties of any kind? There is a reason you are the only person who really knows me!"

"_All the places we traveled together. The people you helped didn't imagine you!_"

"You mean the people YOU helped... most of which, coincidentally, were affiliated with the Militant king, your former cloth."

He stares at her unbelievably. "_What of the wizard, Gannon? He traveled with you!_"

"No. He knows you have an emissary friend, one that only *you* can see...he has always just played along...to gain your trust so he can help you. As for recent events, you couldn't go to the Imperium yourself. You gave the seal you took off a dead Imperator spy to the wizard so he may retrieve who you thought was your wife. He only follows you now because he's concerned for your safety and sanity."

"_What of Star? She knows you, says you grew up together_!"

"Oh yes...a woman who was a prisoner of war for several months in the Imperium, forced to fight for her life everyday in an arena like an animal. The woman is clearly delusional, you've seen the signs yourself. She latched onto you because you are familiar - of her old army. She'd say anything to feel safe, to keep from being alone again. And you are wrong for dragging her along into all of this. She needs help, Soulstealer...not a rescue mission for an imaginary messenger!"

He stares at her behind the glass wall, focusing on breathing while his mind is struggling with what is real and what is not. He manages to say, "_These are lies...why are you playing mind games with me!_"

She sighs and says, "I told you... I don't exist." The emissary's features begin to blur and when they regain focus, it is not her standing there...but his wife. His heart sinks upon seeing her. Has he been talking to her this whole time? She says, "I know you miss me. And I know your mind created her to deal with my loss. I have forgiven you for everything, my love. Everything. But I need you to accept the truth, reclaim your life and move on. Forgive yourself. I fear for you if you don't. That void within you - the one that cries out in pain and will only be quieted with blood - it will never be filled or satiated. You'll die doing this! Please...walk away from this dream you created and finally start living." She steps through the barrier and stands directly in front of him. She brushes his cheek gently with the back of her hand. He grasps it and holds it to his face, wanting to prolong her touch as long as possible. She looks deep into his eyes and says, "If not for yourself...please. Do it for me. " He is totally overcome with self-doubt now as he stares at her. Did he really do the unspeakable to her? Has his mind been broken all this time? He releases her hand and she leans toward him. They embrace and kiss deeply for one last time. When the kiss finally ends, she lays her head on his chest and he wraps his arms around her. He fights the tears as she says, "Forgive yourself so you may never come back to this place." She gently pulls free from him, and looks over his shoulder, giving a slight nod of the head for him to look behind him. He turns to see a lighted path that leads to a door has now appeared behind him. He turns back and his wife is behind the barrier again. He opens his mouth to speak, but the words won't come. He looks at her gentle, smiling face for a few moment before finally turning his back to her, and walking away.

Each step he takes away from her feels lighter and easier to take than the previous as the distance between them increases. When he is within a few steps of the doorway, he stops and surveys the void briefly. His eyes start to glow and he allows himself to look upon at her one final time before crossing the threshold. He sees her aura - a pulsating green light. His face is expressionless for a moment...and then his face turns back to stone. He draws his bow, turns around and starts walking back towards her. She looks startled and confused now. She says apprehensively, "What are you doing? You must cross the doorway in order to leave."

He asks, "_Do you know why we are called soulstealers?"_

She hesitates before saying, "I... admit that I do not."

He continues to walk toward her as he says loudly, "_When a person takes their journey into death, their soul will either go to the heavens or to Hades. But when *I* make a kill - the soul of the fallen goes to neither place. It becomes mine. I can absorb it, adding it to my own strength. Or I can shatter it - forever destroying it. If minions of hell were to take a soul destined for heaven, they would be seen as stealing it. The same goes for angels taking a soul destined for hell. And the same goes for me - every kill I make, heaven and hell sees it as if I'm stealing from them. Hence the name. Neither place is happy with my kind. And we don't fear repercussions from either, because we deal with so many repercussions on a daily basis...anything they can deal out will just feel just like any other day. Do you know what happens to soulstealers when they die?"_ She swallows nervously as he gets closer to her barrier. She shakes her head 'no' in response. He says,_ "Do we go to the heavens or the underworld? It depends...depends on which side needs more soldiers that day...So you see, I don't fear death. It'll just be another day for me...Augusta._ " The barrier disappears as he steps into it and his wife nervously starts backing up. A new barrier emerges between them, then disappears just as quickly as he takes another step towards her. She breathes uneasily as she continues to back away from him. He says, "_I can see the soul of any man or woman. Yours matches the Key Emissary, except my emissary would never back up in fear from me. This is a dream, which means I make the rules. I made the barrier go away, and I'm sure I can do other things as well. So stop with the deceptions and reveal your true identity to me!_"**  
**

The body of the woman blurs like before, then refocuses. The woman that emerges looks like the emissary...but not the same. She wears a gray hooded cloak now. Her skin has a pale glow to it, and the pupil's of her eyes are completely white. She frowns and falls to her knees in exhaustion. She cups her head in her hands and sighs deeply, "I wasted so much energy on that...I can't believe I failed... I never fail." She glances at the bow in his hand and then at his face and says angrily, "Of course it is I! Who the hell else would be here, protectorii? You don't even know where here is! This is no dream...more like a meeting place within a nightmare."

He says angrily, "_Why did you do this to me today, Augusta? I demand to know!_"

"Why did I do this? You're the one who came here uninvited! I needed to clear my mind, to think. No one was supposed to be here...then YOU showed up. That would only be true if you were following her path, which you confirmed yourself. The emissary will never forgive herself if something were to happen to you. And I can't afford her going down that path...I'll lose her. If she's lost, then I'm lost as well. So I did was I do best...I tried to trick you into doing what I wanted. Fates of Augusta are infiltrators and manipulators. As strong as a Belli is with fists, an Augusta is with words. We sow ideas. We can make men doubt their own mind, their own sanity...make them believe what we want them to believe. Once I convinced a man that his mother was a witch and a whore and that he fathered himself through a miscast spell." She sighs and shakes her head, "But you - I don't know if you're truly strong of mind or a just stubborn fool. Belli has probably told you too much...assumed you knew certain things about your role that you didn't. But it wasn't her fault...she didn't know about the blinding. Now she's drug into all of this as well." She looks at him and growls, "And if you can't take what your own Fati can throw at you, protectorii, then you'll never make it this journey! You'll lose your mind...and it won't be from lies, tricks or mind games. It will be from truth alone."

"_You Fati love to speak in circles. Just tell me the truth that you speak of instead of dancing around it!_"

"Oh, you mean like this?" She jumps to her feet and grabs him by the wrist, and the darkness drops away. The sky is clear and blue above, but then he notices that they are standing atop of a wall that stretches for miles in both directions. It's hundreds of feet tall and a sheer drop on both sides. He sees a shallow stream peppered with jagged rock and piles of bone. A black mist rolls across the terrain, revealing the occasional corpse. The base of the wall is covered in red hand prints and then he hears a hum that starts growing louder. People emerge from the mist and start pounding the wall, screaming and laughing as they stare up at the two of them. The wall is not that wide and their blows are making it shake. He feels himself squeezing her hand to steady himself. She squeezes back and says, "Now do you see? This is the path of the blinded! It is bad enough that she is walking it, but you're following that same path and that makes everything just that more worse." She points down into the valley and says, "They are the Lost. If you stray and end up down there, you go mad and join them. Only Fati can find there way out of that...IF they can find the way out. So you see...I would never walk this in a million years. This is a path will end badly for her no matter what. It's the path of vengeance...but one that leads to vengeance against me."

_"Who would want vengeance against you? The circle? Mala?"_

She sighs, "Damn that woman! She really does talk too much... The Circuli Fati was just one woman and a bunch of girls...we were a glorified nursery. But in the same breathe, unlike any other. No, the circle learned the hard way that I was not the worst First Regent that Fortuna Mala could have chosen. If they harbored hate towards me, it doesn't matter. All died except for three: you travel with one, you seek the second, and the third is holding the second one prisoner. But Mala...she thinks I cast against her circle, that *I* am the reason it fell. But that's the farthest thing from the truth. I cast nothing against them. I didn't have to. It fell because of her own incompetence, but she'd never believe it. Facts never stop that kind of hatred, though. Some things have become clear to me lately...this trap I walked straight into for instance. Mala took the Belli as bait. She knew I'd come - but when I didn't...she sought me out. Found me...started following you and the emissary. She's been watching and waiting for months."

"_She is going to kill her then_?"

"That is the last thing she will do. She spent far too much time trying to catch her for that. She is going to prolong the agony as long as possible - it's her way. I knew for years that she would come for me - and she will hurt or kill anyone that I care about. It is why I hid Star, and isolated myself. It is why I stand alone - why I have to stand alone. She knows you now- if you come for the emissary...if she doesn't kill you, she will just use you against her. This is why you need to walk away."

"_I already told you...I don't fear death."_

"Oh, I know you don't. But there are things out there worst than death, Soulstealer. Far worst, especially when it involves Mala and our kind."

He leans in and says, _"I couldn't live with myself if I didn't do what I know in my heart is right. And what is right is helping her get out of a situation that I helped put her in. You have to stop working against me, Augusta. Work with me! Tell me what I can do to help her... to help you!_" She stares at him briefly before releasing her grip, causing the world fall back to darkness. She looks at him sadly and says, "You really are a stubborn fool...but a good protectorii. Honestly, I am unsure how you can help. I..." She freezes in mid-sentence...her whole body stops moving in fact. She stands before him looking like a statue. He reaches out and puts his hand on her shoulder - she feels cold, the flesh of her arm turns to white marble for a second, but then returns to normal just as quickly. She coughs and gasps for air. He asks, _"What is happening to you?_" When she finally catches her breath, she says, "All sleep during the blinding. But we are granted the ability to awaken for brief periods if our bodies are in mortal peril. We can't take over, but we can send guidance and can get glimpses of details, to get an idea of what's going on. It takes all my concentration to stay awake in this form...and I have been awake far too long today."

_"Why today? Did something happen?"_

She looks at him solemnly. "I gave her an escape plan and convinced her to follow through. With all things fair, it should have worked - but all things were not fair...a regrettable miscalculation. She subdued three of her capturers, but the last one...the commanding officer that wears her enchanted gauntlet...was he who can break any will." She clenches her eyes and teeth in pain as parts of her body start turning to marble again. She says, "I have little time left. Quickly - where do you travel?"

"My home - Star wishes to meet with an oracle there." She looks surprised. "An oracle? Truly? She found one? That is good news actually...tell Star we must talk. The oracle can arrange the meeting. Tell her of the escape and that the emissary was marked like a Praetorian, trial by three. You will need proof that it was I you were speaking with, so she knows you weren't being deceived by another...ask her for my Imperator name. She will give an excuse and never give it - it's because she took an oath to never say it. Tell her to give the name or you'll say the name of her first love." She grins slyly, "Sounds trivial, but trust me. That will make her squirm. She'll say my name is Julii Caesaris, she who was named in honor of the Imperator King. She will believe all you say. Hopefully I should have a plan by then. And for what it is worth - I am sorry you got drug into all of this and for my deception earlier..." She winks at him, "But the kiss did made it all worth it. Until our next meeting, Soulstealer..."

He yells, "_Wait_!" But it is too late. Augusta turns entirely to marble as the dark dreamscape is consumed by white light, forcing him to the world of the waking.

* * *

**[Boone - the next morning]**

My head feels groggy as I come too. Damn it - I fell asleep. I open my eyes, but everything is bright and blurry from the sun...wait a minute. I touch my face and instantly notice something isn't right...where the fuck are my shades? I sit up and see Stella and Gannon eating breakfast. And Stella has some new eye wear. She looks over, smiles as she holds up a plate, and says, "Hungry?" I grit my teeth as I say, "I would really like my shades back, please."

She walks over with a plate and says, "Might want to get used to not wearing them so much." She holds out the plate, but I don't take it. We're staring each other down. After a few moments, she laughs, takes off the shades and hands them over. Everything is a game with her for some reason. As I put on my shades, she sits the plate down beside me and walks back over to Gannon.

I look down at breakfast and can't recognize a damn thing. I look over and see a hacked up radscorpion. No...it can't be. I look back at the plate and Gannon says, "Don't ask."

"You sure this won't kill us?" Gannon shakes his head yes, that's it's safe. Stella shakes her head yes, takes a bite, gives me a dead panned look and says, "No."

I say, "Fair enough," and take a bite. I've eaten my share of crazy, but this is surprisingly decent. Everyone continues to eat in silence as the events of my dream replay in my head. Was I really talking with Augusta? Or am I trying to convince myself of something else? There is only one way to find out. I stand up and motion for Stella to take a walk with me. She gets up and Gannon says as we walk away, "Oh yes, feel free to keep your secrets because I clearly won't feel left out...at all. Not one bit. Nope. Just keep walking away, I won't even notice..." Stella turns around, gives him a wink and a thumbs up and says, "Don't worry, Enclave - you and me can play some strip caravan later." He frowns, "That's OK - I'd rather surrender to the nearest Legion camp than burn that image in my mind.." Stella laughs loudly.

Once we get out of earshot, she asks, "What's on your mind," as she pulls out a beer she had hidden in her coat. Taking it she 'borrowed' that from Gannon without him knowing. She starts to take a sip and I ask, "What is Courier's real name," and she almost chokes. She manages to say, "We *cough* called her Augusta."

"You said that was a title. I asked for her name."

She blinks a lot, shrugs and says, "I'm sure I heard it when I was younger, but I can't remember it now. It was so long ago..."

"_She said you took an oath to never say it_."

She stops, turns and gives me a leery look. "And WHEN exactly did she tell you that?"

I open my mouth to tell her, but...what am I going to say? That I spoke to her in my dreams? That's crazy...but is it any less crazy than what I've seen lately? Before I can change my mind, I manage to blurt out, "_Give me her name or... I'll tell you the name of your first love."_

Stella goes pale, like someone just kicked a skeleton in her closet. She says,"Goddamn - you really did talk to her. Only Augusta would have you extort me as a sign of affection...the bitch. Her name is Julii. Like Julius. But she never went by it again after we escaped...She gave you a message for me then?"

I take a deep breath and say, _"She did...Courier tried to escape yesterday, but failed. She didn't give me the name of the man wearing her pip-boy but described him as he who can break any will. She confirmed he's the commanding officer of the group she's with. She was marked like a Praetorian, trial by three. I told her we were traveling to Novac, and she asked that you have your adviser arrange a meeting with her. She needs to talk to you."_

She looks troubled as she looks off into the distance, deep in thought. She says in a daze, "Things have changed. We need to go...now." I say, "_What did she mean they marked her like a Praetorian?"_

She snaps back too,takes a sip and says,"I cut letters into that prisoner last night. The Legion refers to that as marking. New Praetorians have their commanding officers mark them as an initiation rite. It's considered an honor...Praetorian marking involves covering the entire back in symbols. It's a tedious, time consuming process because the design reflects the commanding officers ability to lead. It is a very personal experience - a man cuts on you that long, you won't forget it especially when the day comes that he becomes too weak to lead. You'll have no problem slicing his throat and taking his command."

This type of thing is EXACTLY what I did NOT want to happen. I feel uneasy now, but mostly pissed off. They are going to fucking pay for this. With as much self control that I can muster, I ask, "_What is this... trial by three."_

"It's better if you don't ask me this..."

"_Fuck that. It's better if you don't make me repeat the question...tell me, Stella._"

She guzzles the rest of the bottle and throws it down, looks back at me sadly and says, "Three people travel to Novac with three different reasons to go there. Three is a lucky number for Fati. But trial by three...that is unlucky. A lesson you never want to live through. Two years ago I met a man who was taught it... a Ranger named Jeremy Roberts at Camp Tahoe in New Reno. He was getting discharged from the NCR because had an severe fear of fire. It was so bad he couldn't even be in the same room with a lit cigarette without trying to claw his way out the door to get away from it. He wasn't always like that though. Had an exemplary record of service and up to a few months prior he was looking at a promotion. But they sent him on this mission and he was never the same when he got back. You see, there are a lot of crime families in New Reno and NCR was trying to clean the place up. They started getting a lot of missing person reports from the locales. They investigated and sure enough there was a human trafficking ring going on, ran by a man named Joshua Bishop, formerly of the Bishop clan. The Bishops were actually pro-NCR, but Joshua Bishop had split off and was forming his own group. The NCR found out where Bishop stayed, so they sent Jeremy and a team of 7 other NCR rangers to go bring this guy in. Things went to hell and his whole team was killed. Jeremy was the only survivor...the others were mutilated, but he didn't have a scratch on him. Not a single cut or bruise or burn or anything. Jeremy wouldn't talk about what happened either...our doctors couldn't even get him to open up. He just kept mumbling over and over 'please don't burn me, please stop burning me.' "

"When I met him, he was sitting in the waiting area of the camp's medical clinic waiting for his discharge papers. A nurse at the reception area told me everything I just told you. She said it was such a mystery to everyone...except for me. I knew what happened...or at least suspected. I walked over to him and said, 'You were burned alive, weren't you?' For the first time in months, he stopped mumbling. I asked, 'How many times did they kill you?' He broke down into a shaking, crying mass at that point and told me the number I feared he'd say: three. He tells me how his whole the team died killing all of Bishop's men. It came down to just him and Bishop, and that Jeremy actually gets a lucky shot and gets a round into him. Bishop lay on the ground bleeding out, Jeremy walks over to him and the last words he hears from Bishop's lips were "remember"... and then his eyes were flooded with a white light...sound familiar?"

"_You're telling me that Bishop was a fate? I thought Fates were only women..._"

"You think that because you have only met daughters, but Fortuna does has sons. Bishop was a fate - Fortuno Equestris, the luck of knights and their steeds. Today we don't have knights, but we do have minions and henchmen. He gave his own men luck in carrying out his crimes. Like I said, he was building his own crime family, so you can imagine he was not pleased when all his men had died. Jeremy had no idea what he was up against and Bishop wanted to show him...teach him a lesson, so he knew exactly who he had fucked with. Bishop's reborn, but with the advantage of knowing where Jeremy exact position is, and while Jeremy is confused and trying to figure out what the fuck just happened, Bishop manages to subdue him. He chains him to a post and waits because he knows we get at least one new time meridian a day. The day passes and now he knows for a fact that when he's reborn, Jeremy will still be chained to that post. This is where the trial by three officially begins.

Bishop begins the trial by dousing Jeremy with gasoline and setting him on fire. When Jeremy is burned to death, Bishop kills himself so he can be reborn. Now Jeremy is alive and well again and still chained to that post, but this time he has full memory of being burned alive. So what does Bishop do? He burns him again...kills himself to be reborn, then burns Jeremy to death for the third and final time. The most times a Fate can stand to be reborn is three - anything after that, the pain is just too great. After Bishop is reborn for the third time, he sets Jeremy free and he runs for his life. He doesn't have a single mark on his body to corroborate what happened to him either. And Jeremy returns to the NCR a broken shell of a man. It wasn't fair - and I despise unfair.

So I cleansed Jeremy's memory of the evils that befell him that day, told him how Bishop killed his whole team, and he went from being broken to a man seeking a little payback. I gave him the luck to succeed, and together we tracked Bishop down. He wanted to kill him right away, but I wouldn't let him. Instead we tied him to a post and waited a day. Then I gave Jeremy his memories back and when he saw Bishop his mind broke again. I pulled my pistol on him, pointed at a gasoline can, and gave him an ultimatum: burn Bishop or I'll kill you and he'll burn anyways. Jeremy's hands shook while striking the first match and he cried watching him burn. Bishop's second burning, his hands got steadier and he regained his composure. By the end of this third burning, Jeremy got his mind back. But this time he was stronger. He was born again hard, felt nothing and we fucked while Bishop screamed. He was the one who was truly reborn that night...the fate had used his abilities against Jeremy, and I showed him how to use it against the fate. Bishop became the broken man and learned an important lesson - don't fuck with the NCR. But it was too late for him - Jeremy cut his head off when it was all said and done. You see - what happened to Jeremy is what happened to Courier yesterday. The squad leader was being nice though. He didn't kill her or let his men do what Legion men do to the disobedient, but she was marked over and over, three times in fact solely by him...he who can break any will. She suffered trial by three so she knew not to fuck with him again but it was more than that. This was intimate... he was breaking down and rebuilding your Courier much like what she who's will can not be broken did with Jeremy. It is what we Belli do, Boone."

"_Are you saying the man who marked Courier is a Belli?_"

"Yes. And if Augusta agreed to a meeting, that means she has far less time than we originally thought. We need to leave for Novac now."


	12. Chapter 12: Too Close

_Apologies this took sooooo long. Many, MANY rewrites plus real life and stuff...another long one. Thanks for anyone still reading.  
_

* * *

**Act II, CHAPTER Twelve: Too Close  
**

* * *

**[Camp Lanius]**

The sky falls to dusk as a small, weary group of Praetorians march slowly but steadily up a winding hillside path peppered with red flags and large fire cauldrons. Their destination, a solitary crimson tent on top, is formidable in size and emanates a strong, all too familiar minerally smell of death and blood. The group stops as the one who led them there approaches the entrance guards, addressing them with "vale" as he tries to enter. But as he moves forward, the guards block him from proceeding. The man stops and stares at them with a stunned expression on his face. It's apparent he can walk freely into places like this...until today. "What is this? I must speak with Lanius now."

"The Legatus is not taking visitors tonight, Vincentius. Come back in the morning."

Marcus furrows his brow and says angrily, "I am no visitor! I am a praefectus praetorio (praetorian prefect), sworn to protect the legacy of Mars. I have direct orders to report to the Legatus immediately with the courier - now move!"

"And our orders supersede yours, prefect. Unless you're Lord Caesar himself, you'll have to wait until morning."

Marcus stares at both men silently, his eyes filled with anger. He's using everything he can muster to keep control and they know it. They also know the severe consequences if he acts against a fellow soldier without just cause, which is the only thing keeping him in check. He snarls, "ANY retributions for my delay in reporting in will be paid by you." The guards, unphased by any of this display, chuckle, "You and everyone else today. Go on." He snarls at the men, saying dryly, "Tomorrow then," and motions for his group to head back down the hill.

Everyone, with the exception of Marcus, seem to be relieved by this news as they make their way back toward the camp below. Midway down, the old woman in her long, dark dress appears in front of the woman in the red assassin suit. Three men of the group immediately stop and step back. She stares the courier down and says, "Tell your men to go on ahead, Marcus. The test begins now." The courier's bruised face, covered with a face wrap and shades, is blank as she stares forward in a daze. She feels nothing now. The events that happened earlier...watching Marcus die only to re-live to cut her again and again...learning the truth of her past…it was too much for her. The will to fight, to escape is gone now. She finally found what she had been searching for for so long. A den of enemies is her family, and she's accepted it. But it doesn't change anything between them...

The voice of her only friend now...the pre-Legion soldier that calls himself Vero, whispers advice constantly in her ear…telling her where to look, how to walk, what to say...the voice never leaves her. She takes a deep breath and watches as Marcus motions for his men to leave. When they are completely out of earshot, the old woman smiles and says, "It's time for you to finally prove you're an Augusta. It's a small test really, but...something within your ability. Convince the guards to let us see Lanius tonight." The courier immediately turns her head to look at Vero who is standing next to her. He places his ghostly hand on her shoulder and says angrily, "You see? I told you they won't stop until you play their game, Augusta. I think it's time you showed them how it's goddamned played." Vero removes his hand, then walks behind Marcus. Her eyes follow him, inadvertently giving the impression she's waiting for the order to come from Marcus and not the old woman. Marcus frowns then says, "Do as she asks...even though it's a waste of time. The guards will die before they let anyone pass."

Courier looks away as Vero beckons her to direct her attention towards the camp. She sees rows and rows of empty tents...old world picnic tables full of soldiers that echo laughter as they eat their end of day meal….a group of slaves sitting at a small camp fire, cautiously watching the soldiers. The sound of roaring guffaws causes her eyes to snap back to the picnic tables. She stares at the men in the distance as she says, "Waste of time? Funny you should mentioned that... I've been asking myself why did Caesar send me here to meet with Lanius? He gave me no a message to deliver. Maybe I'm here to get orders from Lanius instead...except I was told that if I didn't present myself to him as the embodiment of Caesar, Lanius would kill me..implying Caesar did send me." She looks at Marcus and continues, "But then you said there would be consequences for arriving behind schedule here...implying that Lanius sent for me...so he can kill me if I don't act like this Augusta you keep mentioning? I'm beginning to think that Caesar doesn't even know I'm here...and Lanius doesn't know I'm coming." She looks back at the old woman and says, "Why do I have the feeling you're just making this up as you go along?"

The old woman frowns as a black mist starts to twist and form around her. The courier looks back at Marcus, who takes a quick glimpse at the men in the dining area before looking back at her. In that brief moment she notices confusion in his eyes...he's looks slightly perplexed by what he sees. Something isn't right in this camp tonight. Courier turns back towards the old woman, pulls down her face wrap and takes off her shades and says, "It's as Marcus said...If you want to get to Lanius tonight, just kill the guards." The old woman is unamused as Courier smirks, "Did I pass your test, Mala?"

The world twists and contorts as an invisible energy wave pulsates briefly from the old woman as she sets a new meridian. She tosses a knife on the ground and says, "You pass when I'm standing in front of the butcher himself. You say the way in is through death, then here is your key. Go unlock the door, Augusta. Go let us in."

The two women stare each other down, Mala calling the courier's bluff. Courier picks up the blade and marches back toward the guards with Marcus following a few footfalls behind. As she approaches the guards at the tent, she says in a commanding tone, "I am here to deliver the message of Lord Caesar to the Legatus. I am his voice...the voice of the Legion. Let me in."

The guards start to laugh. "Did you not hear what we told your master earlier? Come back in the morning, woman."

The courier looks blankly at them, and then starts laughing with them as she asks, "Exactly what time did Lanius say he was coming back tonight?"

The guards stop laughing.

They turn very serious in fact. One says, "We said the Legatus isn't taking visitors - that doesn't mean he's gone."

The courier smiles. Lanius leaving was a secret like she thought, but camps so small - there are no secrets here. But the camp knows not to talk. And the guards reaction confirms no one outside was supposed to know about this, especially a representative of Caesar. She starts walking away as she looks at Marcus and says, "I'll make sure my 'master' asks YOUR master how his trip was when we come back in the morning..."

"Did you not understand - he's here!"

She continues walking away. "You're trying very hard to convince me of that…."

"Wait…"

The courier stops, turns around and walks back toward the men. "First you want me to go, now you want me to stay? Oh, I will wait. I'll wait right here. All night. All day if I have to. And when Lanius walks up that path like I *know* he will, I'll be sure to tell him how you two couldn't follow simple orders and keep his absence confidential!"

The guards stare silently at her. There eyes glance between her and Marcus, who is standing a few feet behind her observing the entire conversation. One of the men lets out a sigh and says, "What is your price."

She says angrily, "Price! You think I can be bought!"

"Everyone has a price." He glances at Marcus, then back at her. "What is your price."

Courier takes a deep calming breath before walking back toward Marcus. When she's beside him, she turns around and addresses the guards, "A voice has only one price: your attention. You see, a voice is nothing unless it can be heard. When I speak, all that I ask is that you lend me your ear." The guards give a sigh of relief until she throws the knife on the ground in front of them and extends her hand. "And by lend I mean give. I only need one. Right or left - your choice."

The men look at Marcus disbelievingly, who sneers, "Did you not hear what the voice of the Legion said? Or would you prefer I cut a different piece of you off as payment?"

The guards reluctantly carry out the act on the other, flinching in pain and hands shaking as they drop their bloody payment into the courier's outstretched palm. Courier and Marcus then walk back down the hill side by side. When they are out of hearing range of the guards, he stops her and asks, "How did you know Lanius was gone."

She feels Vero's hand on her shoulder, giving her the strength to appear composed and responsive. Being alone with Marcus...after what happened today, is the last thing she would have normally wanted. But she was reborn that day…she left her fears behind, let the madness embrace her. The unreal was now real as ghosts spoke to her, and she was finally ok with it. She echoes the words that Vero whispers in her ear, saying, "Lanius practices decimation. His men fear him...all men fear him. But no soldier is fearful here. Even the guard were brazen with you tonight. Too many people relaxing, except the slaves. They look extremely fearful, probably of lawlessness that will be going on tonight...it wasn't like this at the Fort. He must be gone...it's the only explanation that makes the most sense."

"He isn't confined here. He can come and go as he pleases. Why the secrecy?"

"I don't know...at least not yet. You smelled his tent. Maybe he recently interrogated someone, and learned something he wanted to see for himself privately. Or maybe he needed to meet with someone outside the Legion...I don't have enough information to determine why he left." Marcus pauses as he reflects on her words. He starts walking back down the hill when she says,"What exactly is it that you want from me? What is the REAL reason you brought me here, Vincentius."

He stares at her for a second, half surprised she asked him but also cautiously mapping out his words. He finally says,"The Legatus has been awaiting word from Caesar to attack Hoover dam. We all have been. The NCR is weakened and if we attacked now, we could take the dam back and end the NCR's presence here. But Caesar won't give the order, even when he sees the NCR slowly growing stronger each day. We brought you to Lanius to make him think Caesar had finally sent word to start the attack. He's been waiting on a courier for quite some time."

"Except you know I wasn't given that message to deliver." She pauses as Vero whispers in her ear, then gives Marcus a look of shock. "...But you just needed him to see a courier, right? He didn't actually need to hear the message. You would simply let him assume that is why I was here. You planned on killing me the second I walked into his tent!"

Marcus' face is very straight now, no emotion in his voice as he answers, "Very good."

Courier takes an uneasy breath before saying, "You could have grabbed anyone to do this long before now...but you waited for me. Why?"

"That is Mala's plan, not mine."

"I heard what she said earlier. She doesn't seem the type to spend years looking for me just to kill me off so quickly. I'm guessing 'Kill the courier' is plan B...so what was plan A."

He pauses for a second then says, "Plan B was for a courier. But plan A was for Augusta, once you had proven that you were as Mala claimed. Hoover dam was just a stepping stone toward our real goal. We want to secure the future of the Legion. We want Lanius to seize control and lead us now. But this is a thing he will never do. He puts Caesar on a pedestal. You are here to convince him to act."

"Convince him to take over the Legion? You realize, you're talking about treason."

"It can't be treason if Lanius will lead us all in time anyways. Just make it happen sooner."

"If he adores Caesar as much as you say, then why shouldn't I just tell Lanius what you're planning?"

Marcus smirks as he says, "Because Caesar lied to you. Once you join us, you can never leave. That is why he put that collar on your neck...a collar that he has no intention of ever removing."

Courier glances at Vero who looks just surprised as her as she says, "What do you mean!"

He raises the pip-boy up as the amber light shines on both of their faces. "Caesar condemned you to wear that collar for the rest of your life...condemned me to the same fate with this pip-boy. You and I are tethered.."

"No! He said…"

"Don't you understand? YOU joined the Legion! Swore on your own word. No one leaves. Even if you didn't really mean it, he has every intention on holding you to it. No matter what you do, he will NEVER let you leave."

"But Lanius will? I seriously doubt that!"

"He will. Because once Lanius takes over a Lord, he will need a new prime, a sole Legate that will lead all of his men and campaigns. I have full intention of being that Legate...which I can't do if I'm chained to you, Augusta."

"But that only gives him reason to release you, not me. He has no reason..."

Marcus frowns, then twists the pip-boy and pulls it off. The collar around the Courier's neck starts beeping and choking her. She looks at him frantically as she coughs and collapses to the ground as she grabs at it. As the beeps start increasing in volume and frequency, they stop altogether. She gasps, trying to catch her breath and looks up to see Marcus has put the pip-boy back on. He extends his hand to help her to her feet, and she takes it. She wheezes as he says, "I grow tired of trying to convince you, so let's be perfectly clear on this. I have order to remove this pip-boy at any point you prove too difficult to handle, or if your intentions appear to be not in the interest of the Legion. Caesar does see you as a liar and a thief. But to me - these are traits I need you to have. It means you'll operate outside our creed, do whatever it takes to get the job done. You breathe solely because I will you too, Augusta. Not Caesar, not Lanius...but me. I am giving you the opportunity for vengeance against Caesar. And if I say Lanius will free you, it will be done."

She stares at him as she continues to catch her breath. She hear's Vero whisper, "There are too many deceptions going on here. You just need to know this man is dangerous...it's only a matter of time before he says you have a delightful scream again and repeats todays events. I promised I will deliver you the vengeance you seek but we need to focus on one enemy at a time. Do as he says...give the Legion it's rightful leader...for now. " She nods then says, "Fine….I will do as you say, Vincentius. But I need information about Lanius - from someone from this camp who can tell me things that people who know Lanius won't think to say."

"If you need free reign of this camp tonight, then it's yours."

"And what about Mala? I don't need her interfering."

He smiles widely at her and she feels the incredible strength she experienced earlier returning. "I'll handle her. You just focus on your task at hand. Good fortune upon you, my Augusta. Any man gets in your way, beat him within an inch of his life. Talk to the people here - learn what you need and come back to my camp before Lanius returns. Do not disappoint me tomorrow. I am giving you my trust - break it and try to escape again….

She pulls up her face wrap and puts on her mirrored shades as she says, "I won't. We're on the same page. Your will is my will now as mine is yours."

"Good. Then let *our* will be done. Now go."

Marcus watches as she walks toward the ocean of crimson tents and disappears. Mala appears next to him and says, "Do you see that I was right about her now?" He smirks, "Yes, I see it. She is definitely an Augusta, better than the last one by far. But this one is too clever. She figured out far too much in so little time."

"That is her strength. And now that she realizes you're in control, she will do as you say. "

Marcus looks back down at the tents and says, "Then our deal still stands then? After she convinces Lanius, she is mine and our business is done."

Mala smiles, "Of course," and disappears.

* * *

**[Mojave - current]**

We left camp and have been walking for a few hours now. Everything's been quiet this trip - no radscorpions, no fiends, no Legion...nothing. Just long stretches of silent Mojave sand. Even Gannon and Stella stopped bickering. It's almost like...the calm before the storm.

But, as always...I spoke too soon.

"Boone..." I turn to see Gannon. He motions for me to look behind him. Stella is trailing far behind us. She's acting stranger than normal...mumbling to herself while chewing on the tip of her thumb and walking with her eyes closed. He says, "She's been doing that for the last ten minutes."

"We're close to Novac...but the way we're heading takes us right past Charlie, her last post. The Legion killed her whole team there."

"Maybe we should go another way." I watch her for a few seconds before saying, "No...we can't afford to lose any more time and she knows that. It was no secret we were coming this way...she's just trying to deal with it. We keep going."

Gannon doesn't look happy but he doesn't protest either.

Another half an hour passes and the closer we get to Charlie, the harder she starts breathing. She's shaking now. Eventually she falls to her knees, with her head in her hands. She mumbles to herself, "What are you doing. You can do this. It's over. It won't happen again...it won't happen again." Gannon takes a step toward her and I grab him to stop. He looks at me and I shake my head no. I know he wants to help...but if he lays a hand on her, even a helpful one...she might snap and kill him. After a few moments, she regains her composure, gets up and we continue walking. When we get right outside Charlie, I feel her hand on my shoulder. I turn and see she's still got her eyes closed. She's shaking all over, but trying hard to hide it. She squeezes my shoulder and swallows hard before saying. "We're at Charlie."

"Yeah."

"Nobody is there."

"No - the post is still abandoned."

"...I need a favor."

"What is it."

She exhales loudly. "Inside the main building, the room on the immediate left is the barracks. Left side of the room, closest bottom bunk...my bunk. There is a holotape under the mattress. If it's still there...I need it. Could you..."

"I've got it." I step away and she yells, "Be cautious...they left IEDs in there." (IEDs = improvised explosive devices)

"I know. " Courier and I spent a great deal of time in here disarming them when we were here last. No harm in caution - in case we missed one or two.

I step through the gates and see the remains of one soldier lying face down outside the front door of the building. The NCR must be spread pretty thin to not come back here to retrieve the bodies. It's been months since this happened. I walk inside and the place is a wreck...bodies everywhere and everything is still smashed or flipped over. Smells like hell from the decay too. I quickly find her bunk and grab the holotape. I look at it for a second - nothing special about it. Just a plain tape, no writing on it except there is a small chip off one of the corners. Guess this is it. I walk back to Gannon and Stella standing near the station's entrance. I see her eyes are still closed - she can't even look at the place. Who could blame her. I tap her hand with the holotape. She gives a sigh of relief as her fingers find the familiar broken corner of it. I grab her by the shoulder and push her to walk in the direction of Novac. The sooner we get out of here, the better. "Let's go."

We finally get to Novac around midday. Hadn't been here in months but I can see the place hasn't changed at all. Stella is operating eyes on again like nothing happened. The second we walk up next to the motel, Gannon asks, "Where is Vargas usually?" I point at Dinky. "Up there. He works the day shift." Gannon stares at Dinky for a minute and says as he walks off, "Why couldn't I find a job working in a dinosaur?" I look over and Stella is making her way behind the old motel, and I follow her. I see her walking up to No-bark. They shake hands, talk for a few seconds before sitting on the ground. I walk up and say, "We don't have time for you to socialize - go find your adviser first. Then talk to everyone in town for all I care..."

"This *is* my adviser, Boone."

"WHAT?" My mouth drops open. No-bark? We fucking just walked all the way here so she could talk to No-bark, the town crazy? There were at least a dozen crazy people hanging out side of Old Mormon Fort she could have talked to if that was the case! What the fuck am I doing listening to her…

No-bark looks up and smiles at me. "Don't I know you," he asks. I don't even answer. I can't believe this is happening.


	13. Chapter 13: The Forbidden Tale

_Thanks for all the kind words regarding last chapter - I really appreciate it! Next chapter is still in progress and focused on Boone, and after that - it's the last chapter in this act. I only have this planned up through act III, so there are still several chapters to go (although there probably won't be as many in act III as in the other 2). Thanks for the patience and for reading!_

* * *

**Act II, CHAPTER Thirteen: The Forbidden Tale**

* * *

[**Camp Lanius]**

An elderly woman in tattered rags kneels with a battered washboard by the side of Colorado river. She's surrounded by stacks of dirty laundry that she's been working on for the last few hours. A much needed breeze blows across her sweaty brow and through her long silver hair that's been braided into long bundles with makeshift ribbons made of dirty cloth denoting her status as priestess: slave, teacher and caregiver of children. She takes the briefest of moments to look at the peacefulness of her surroundings: the stillness of the river, the wide open canyon. "If these bones were younger, I could run for it," she thinks to herself. She catches a glimpse of the man in red recruit armor standing next to an area of blood soaked ground a few meters away. "But I know what happens to those that try.." One of the boys in her care walks over with a basket of wet clothing he's scrubbed and smiles at her, but she ignores the gesture. "Today he wants to be my friend, but tomorrow...if he survives the training...he'll be one of them," she thinks to herself as she snatches the basket from his hands, points at a new stack for him to start working on, and continues scrubbing silently.

The long day wanes and the sky darkens as their task finally reaches completion. The woman and the 3 boys under her watch are exhausted, but there is no option to take a break here. They walk back towards camp, each one carrying an over-sized backpack full of damp linens, with their unencumbered guard leading the way. At camp after all the unpacking, the folding of dry clothing and hanging of the rest, her three little ones run off to deliver folded up bundles around the camp as the tired priestess makes her way to an area behind the cooking tent known as the _servus circulus_ - a small campfire surrounded by a few tired women. This is where the slaves come before their slumber - a place for meals and the only socialization they get...not that there is much jovial discussion.

She approaches the fire and the women immediately acknowledge her presence with a "ave, mater" (hello, mother) and shift around to make room for her. She is handed a bowl of stew made from mole rat meat and maize. The exhausted priestess takes a sip of the thin, bitter liquid and feels her strength slowly starting to return. All of the women eat in silence until a lone voice says, "I wonder who they'll chose tonight." They all turn to look at the one who spoke the words as the priestess replies, "It is unlucky to speak of such things."

Helen, a woman in her forties known for her complaining, frowns and says, "They stopped bringing women in, then turned to us when they ran out. They're coming I tell you. You're naive if you think not talking about it will it keep it from happening." The priestess sighs, having grown tired of always butting heads with her, "They've never done that before and everyone here knows that. We don't know if it will happen again. I just know someone has to do the work around here, and there are already too few of us. They never bring many of us to their war camps. Regardless, you're naive if you think you can DO anything to stop it." But before their words can escalate any further, a timid voice intervenes. "They'll pick no one tonight. The Legatus isn't in the camp." The group of women stop eating and look at the small woman who spoke, the camp's cook, who is also the youngest of their group. "How do you know this," the priestess asks. The cook says nervously, "I saw him leave. Him and his guard. Those screams we heard last night - it's from the men they brought in...the ones wearing tan. Shortly after everything went quiet, I saw the Legatus and his men leave. No meals went to his tent all day or tonight... I think he's still gone."

"Or he's simply grown tired of your cooking," says Helen with a frown on her face, but the timid cook ignores her jab. The priestess thinks for a few moments before saying, "If he's here or not - doesn't matter. Doesn't change anything. It's best if we don't..."

Another woman speaks up. "The one they took didn't come back last night, Amica. The new girl. No one saw her leave the legate's tent. Maybe you should lead another prayer for her safety tonight."

Helen kicks at the campfire angrily and says, "See - I knew this exact thing would happen!" She points at the young cook and yells, "You're an idiot for letting our fire go out - I keep telling you it represents our life here - it can never stop burning! You let it burn out, and now the new girl is dead! This is your fault!"

The cook grimaces as she looks away, and wipes tears away from her eyes. Amica says sternly, "We don't know she's dead, Helen."

Helen gives Amica a mean stare, then addresses all the women sitting there. "You all know what he does to those women they bring in here, right?"

"Stop it, Helen," the priestess warns.

"He loves pain and death, but there is something the legate loves more than either of those things: he loves fear. He interrogated those poor fools, then sacrificed them to Mars and made her watch the whole thing. And she watched the horrors because she feared what he'd do to her if she didn't. She's just like the rest of them - thinking somehow you'll walk out of that tent unscathed if you just obey... It never occurs to you until it's too late that all you're really doing is waiting for your turn..."

"ENOUGH, Helen" the priestess yells. "Stop scaring them with your lies!"

"These are not lies! They are truths! Told to me by one of the Legate's slaves."

All mouths drop open as the women stare at Helen in disbelief. Amica takes a deep breath, then says with every bit of restraint she has left, "You know it is forbidden to speak to them! If anyone catches you, they will crucify you. Or one of us as an example! It doesn't matter if what you say is true now...you have to stop this recklessness." She throws a handful of sand into the campfire and says, "This fire will not protect you unless you change your ways!"

"I welcome death, especially if it means I miss out on taking over your job as priestess, Amica."

Amica cuts her eyes at Helen, then turns her head to look at the solemn expressions of the women who are nervously looking at each other. Only then did it occur to her that faces were missing. "Wait...where are my liberi (children)? They should be back by now." The women look around, but the children are not there. The women help the priestess to her feet and she moves as quickly as she can manage toward the heart of the camp. "Please be OK," she says to herself.

Amica goes through the rows of tents until she hears a commotion a short distance away. She sees her three liberi: two are standing and one is laying on the ground crying with a bloodied face. She sees the two soldiers standing over him, shouting while the two boys are standing off to the side with the look of fear on their faces. She starts yelling for mercy as she comes to the aid of the fallen child. She drops to her knees and tries to shield him with her body from the guards as she pleads over and over, "Miserere nobis! (Have mercy on us!)"

"Your liberi stole from me! You know the price, priestess!"

She looks at the boy's scared face...the same boy who smiled at her earlier, as she pleads, "Sir, he is so young, he made a mistake! Children are foolish. Please, sir! Miserere nobis!"

"He is old enough to know better! Move aside or share his punishment!" She looks at the boy's crying, pleading eyes, takes a deep breath, looks at the soldier and says, "Sir, it is my duty to stand by my liberi. Do what you must." He pulls back his fist when they hear a commanding voice, "But I rather that you didn't."

The priestess and the soldiers turn their head to see a woman in red standing a few feet away, her face hidden by a face wrap and shades much like a deaconus. The soldier walks toward her and without missing a beat, she walks toward him as well. The priestess has never seen a woman walk without fear toward a confrontation with a solider here...with the exception of one other. She can barely breath as she watches.

The soldier growls, "You better watch..." but the woman in red already knows what he is going to say, and she says it along with him angrily, "...how you speak to me, femina," as she holds the seal of Caesar up to his face. The soldier is startled by the sight of it, but then slaps it out of her hand, "You think a seal will protect you here! I never saw any seal. Did you?" The other soldier sneers and says, "No."

He grabs the woman by her armor roughly as she laughs, "Are you really stupid enough to believe that a woman would come to a place like this alone, that I could just come to harm or even disappear and there would be no investigation, no retribution? Plan on paying the price for killing these slaves as well because they will corroborate any action you take against me tonight. You know their code: _Honestas, Industria, Prudentia (_Honesty, Industry, Prudence). Slaves never lie."

The guard is all in her face now yelling, "Slaves see what I tell them to see! And they saw nothing! Isn't that right?" The soldiers face Amica and the boys, and they all respond by looking away. The woman in red yells loudly, "NO, I will not send your message back to the NCR. I don't aid spies! " The soldiers stop and look at her blankly, then quickly look around to see who is watching. She coughs, "You say you never saw my seal, and I say you confided in me that you're NCR spies."

The soldier continues to look around cautiously,"You're playing a dangerous game with my patience, woman!"

"Indeed, this game is dangerous... and my favorite. It's called my word against yours. The only people smart enough to have ever played against me and win have been Frumentarii. I don't dare play this against them." The guard releases his grip on her as she steps back and pulls down her face wrap. She grins slyly, "You two wouldn't happen to be Frumentarii, would you?"

"I don't need to...," says the soldier but then the other speaks over him, answering, "Yes, we are!"

"What a shame, " she replies. "But I have no choice but to play now. You know how this works. I'll speak with the Legate tomorrow, and I'll tell him I declined your offer. If he believes me, you'll both be crucified outside the gates by day's end. If he believes your word over mine, then I'll be the one crucified."

"Sounds like you want to die then! The Legatus will never believe your lies!"

"But I won't be lying. I will simply fail to mention that you didn't actually ask...only that I would not deliver your message. The slaves here will corroborate what I am saying."

"You said it yourself - our slaves never lie. And they won't lie for you!"

"But they won't be. They will be stating facts. Your treatment of them will determine what facts they chose to conveniently forget. Your lives are now in their hands."

The soldiers look nervously at the slaves now. "I am done playing games with this crazy femina. If you dare speak a word of this to the Legatus, we will make you all pay," one growls to them as they both walk off, one grabbing her seal off the ground as they leave. As soon as they are gone, Amica breathes uneasily as she wipes the blood off the boys face then instructs her liberi to go to their evening meals. As the boys runs off, she looks at the woman in red and says, "I would thank you for helping, but you've caused us troubles we don't need." The red woman laughs, "Don't worry about them. They'll be dead by tomorrow - that I guarantee."

"We won't lie for you."

"Oh...I'm counting on it."

Helen emerges from the tents, walks up to Amica, and helps her to her feet. She looks at the woman in red, noticing the bruises on her face before addressing her. "I have to know the name of the woman who dares stand up to soldiers here and lives to talk about it. Who are you?"

"My name is Courier. I bring the voice of Lord Caesar where he wishes, and I serve with Prefect Vincentius."

Amica shakes her head, "I can't believe Caesar has a woman serving such an important role. And serving with praetorians and the witch killer."

Helen says just as quickly, "It doesn't surprise me. Women are not allowed to fight in the Arena, but Diana is the greatest gladiator in the Legion."

"A prisoner who fights for her life is more like it." The priestess looks at the red woman and mumbles, "There is no such thing as generosity here. You want something from us. What is it."

The woman in red smiles and says,"Yes...I do need something from you...information. You said witch killer a second ago. Is that Vincentius then?"

"Yes. Prefect Vincentius. How do you not know of him? Everyone knows of his courage."

"I'm kinda of new here, and he never mentioned it. But I'd love to hear about it."

Amica nods and says, "He is a true hero of the Legion. They say that he can take on five men unarmed in a fight by himself, and that he will not let any man serve under him unless they can hold their own against at least three men. Many have tried and failed. You must be very unique to be given the privilege to serve with him. But regarding his title...the Legion was plagued many years ago by a group of witches. They were known as those marked with a circle." Amica points at the 'x' painted on her ragged clothing and says, "Which is why we are marked as such - to indicate we are not one of them. The witches were believed to be undefeatable. But Lord Caesar was wiser and more cunning, his army overtook them and brought them back as prisoners. They were fed one by one to the arena. The first witch that entered killed every man she fought. Until Vincentius entered the arena. He was a very young man then, maybe 16 years of age. He knew all fell before him, but he entered that arena anyway...and with no fear. One by one, he killed them all. "

"He killed all but one you mean, " interjects Helen. "The black witch, their leader. She still lives."

"We don't know that. She hasn't been seen in years."

Courier looks at the women in deep thought, before shaking her head and saying, "I think I have all the information I need regarding Legion tales of heroics. What I really need is information on a slave, if you've heard of her. Her name is Carla Boone." Courier feels a hand on her shoulder and turns to see it's Vero. He asks, "What are you doing. This information won't help us tomorrow." She smirks and says, "Actually, it will." She looks back at the slaves as Helen says, "Is this a joke?"

Amica replies, "Yes...everyone knows her."

The courier furrows her brow and says, "Why is that…what makes her so well known?"

"She is known because the Legate made her known. Rumors are he paraded her around, then offered her to any man who wanted her. One fool stepped forward... and the Legate broke his back, disemboweled him and fed him to his dogs. Word spread quickly after that...mainly because the rumor is the soldier wasn't completely dead when the dogs started eating. True or not, it doesn't matter - no man dare lay eye on her since. Not even the other slaves dare speak to her."

Courier asks, "He does this all of his slaves then? So people know she belongs to him?"

"No, everyone knows his property because all his slaves are struck blind."

The courier sits back and rubs her chin "All except her though. Why is that? Did he...love her or something?"

Helen chuckles and says, "The Legatus loves fear, power, and pain, not people. I heard she was a gift from Lord Caesar. He is the living incarnation of Mars, but there are whispers that these are his final days. Mars must be born again. Lord Caesar chose Carla and the Legate to bear this heir, a child that will lead war into the world and make the whole world Legion. The blinding sometimes kills the person it's performed on, so they won't risk doing it to her. It won't matter though...if the child is truly Mars, she will die during the birth. And if she doesn't...they'll kill her and the child and try again with another."

The courier stares at the women in disbelief. "This doesn't add up. Caesar is a smart man. This plan doesn't sound like something he would have come with...and I still don't understand why her specifically."

Helen says, "I hear his mind has been clouded by darkness...I think the black witch is responsible. Carla was chosen by her."

"Again with this black witch? But you said no one's seen her."

Amica says, "She has to be dead by now, Helen. If she even existed. She's probably just a made up story to scare children into obedience."

Helen shakes her head, "She is real...I'm telling you, she's the one who came up with this whole heir business...and has been feeding them lies. The real mother of Mars is dead. The woman that walks around calling herself Carla Boone is an imposter."

"Not this again..."

Courier can barely breathe now. She looks at Vero, and manages to calm her anxiety down enough to ask, "Thoughts?" He looks at the slaves and says, "Slaves will not lie. But rumors are still rumors. They believe the information they have is true, but that is not the same as it actually being true. Take what they say with a grain of salt." Courier feels a little more at ease after hearing his words, then turns back toward the women and asks, "What do you mean imposter?"

Helen says, "The night I lost my freedom, I was taken from my town by Legion soldiers. Me and a few of my neighbors were taken to Cottonwood Cove. There were so many of us there, rounded up like brahmin for the sale. But I remember her. There were only a few that were visibly pregnant, and she was so beautiful. And scared just like the rest of us. Hard to forget that one. No one wanted to be there, but a small part of you felt bad for those women...having children born into this. Part of me feared for them, glad I wasn't in that position if you understand. That fear came true though...no one knew who she was at the time, but the black witch was there. I saw her with my own eyes. She pointed to a single woman in the crowd and shouted 'This one is the mother of Mars,' and I swear not five seconds later the woman's head exploded and she fell to the ground dead. We thought she had a bad collar, but it was still intact. Someone had shot her. The witch just stared at the dead woman in disbelief. She eventually came to and pointed at another woman in the crowd and said she would do. The guards weren't happy, but she told them both women would be one in the same. She had to perform a ritual, in order to transfer the soul from the dead woman to her. They took both women to the centurion's room. The rest of us slept outside in a fenced in area that week. But not her - she stayed up in that room the entire time. Men would come and go. And the cries...dear God, the woman wouldn't stop screaming. But after that week, she came out...that woman wasn't the same. There were no bruises, just dried blood on her clothes and all she would say is, "My name is Carla Boone, I am the mother of Mars," over and over. It's all she would say."

Courier feels ill at the thought that she might have freed the wrong woman, but in her mind she is clinging to hope that this slave is wrong. She takes a deep breath to calm down the panic that's building inside her, and says "So... you believe she transferred the soul to the woman then?"

"No. But in their mind, yes. You see...they didn't bring food into that room the entire week. And the dead body was never taken out. You know how the Mojave is - figured I'd smell that at some point...but we never did. I think they made her eat them...the body of the woman and her dead unborn child. I think they broke her...totally broke her mind so she had no will left. She'd say she was anyone at that point."

The women in red looks away and starts speaking to someone who isn't there. The two slave women look at each other nervously. The woman looks back at them and says, "Tell me more about this black witch."

Amica says, "There is little to tell. There is an old bed time story about her that we used to tell our children. But to speak of her...is unlucky. And now the story is forbidden - has been for several years. If the guards hear, it means death." Amica and Helen watch as the woman in red turns her head to the side again to speak to someone who isn't there. They feel even more nervous now, and try to leave. "We've said too much about her already," says Amica as takes a few steps backward, grabbing onto Helen. "Thank you for your help, Courier. But we need to go."

As the priestess turns away, she feels a hand grabbing her arm. She looks down and sees the woman in red has a hold on her. She pulls her to her, leans in real close to the old priestess and whispers, "I didn't say we were done, femina. I said tell me about the black witch."

"I told you - it's forbidden!"

The courier smiles with contained anger, "You can tell me now as your friend... or tomorrow I will have you dragged to my tent and you'll tell me then. And if that happens... we will not be friends, Amica."

Helen looks stunned, then says angrily, "I thought you were different, that you would help us! But you're just like them!"

The courier looks at Helen and says, "You're wrong! I'm not like them…I'm worse!" She looks back at Amica and says firmly," Are we still friends, Amica? Or am I leaving?"

Tears start to form in the old woman's eyes as she says, "Don't make me do this, ma'am. Please…."

Helen shakes her head and says angrily, "This is all starting to make sense now. She set this all up! Your liberi would never steal, Amica! She's the one who stole from the guard and planted it on the child. She used a child as bait to get information from you and me!" Courier gives Helen a grim look as Amica says, "Is this true?"

Courier stares the two of them down, then releases her hold on the priestess and says calmly, "I will see you two in the morning." Courier turns to leave when she hears the priestess pleading, "Wait...I'll tell you what you want to know."

Amica glances at Helen with hopelessness in her eyes as the courier walks back toward her. Helen says fearfully, "I will tell you...but you have to agree that we will be done after that. No more questions." Courier silently nods in agreement. Amica speaks softly so only they may hear, "It didn't start with the witches, but began many years before that...before we were known as Legion. We were a tribe called the Blackfoot. Our warriors descended upon the home of a small Arizona tribe one day, but this was nothing new. That tribe was used to our tactics - quick intense attacks, taking what they wanted, and then leaving just as quickly. This was an old game they had played many times before. But that day was different. Our warriors were more ruthless than normal, their attacks more organized, precise. The small tribe was no match against the total war tactics our people learned from the son of Mars, and they surrendered shortly after the onslaught began. All men, women, and children were taken to the center of their camp, and watched in disbelief as their chieftain was massacred before their eyes. That day, the Blackfoot were not there to simply take supplies - they were there to remove that tribe from existence.

Three of the strongest men of the tribe were taken as prisoners - the rest were killed. No one was spared. One by one they fell until a single woman remained. She stood by the pile of bodies, looking upon the Blackfoot with no expression, no emotion, nothing. A Blackfoot warrior ran towards her, but before he reached striking distance a black mist engulfed him. His body fell to the ground, writhing for breath, and once the darkness filled his eyes he stopped moving. Another man charged, and also fell to the ground in a shroud of darkness before he reached her, his last moments filled with choking and sputtering. Two men raised their tomahawks and threw them at her, but men who never miss their target...missed. They flew backward, as if grabbed by some invisible god-like hand and thrown. Both men landed on the ground dead. It was as if there own killing blow has been mirrored back at them a hundredfold. The Blackfoot stared at their fallen brothers in disbelief. What did they just witness?

The Blackfoot feared to go near the woman now, and their war chief ordered she be left behind, to be rid of her and their newly found misfortune. But as they journeyed back to their home, they noticed the woman was following them. The Blackfoot started to get nervous, shouting profanities and threats at her in an attempt to get rid of her. But their efforts failed - she met every step they took with one of her own. Finally, the war chief instructed the prisoners from her village be released, hoping that would appease the woman so she would finally leave them alone. As the bound hands of the prisoners were untied, the woman smiled and said, 'Three is a lucky number.' As the last man was freed, all three were engulfed by a black mist and fell to the ground dead just like the warriors before them. The woman looked upon the bodies and smiled again. The crowd of warriors fell silent as the woman walked amongst them as she slowly made her way toward their war chief. She faced him but spoke so all may hear, her words forming thin black threads of smoke that slowly wrapped around all who heard:

'Did you know the goddess of Fate can no longer bare children? It's true. Yet in her heart she yearns to be a mother again. So much so that she visits every new born child so she might affix their path, their destiny, to them personally. But we all fall prey to our own desires occasionally... the same is true even for a goddess. You see, the laws of the gods dictate that we can only have one true mother in life, so the goddess of Fate was granted special privilege. She may take any child of man of her choosing as her own - but only if the natural mother dies from the child's birth. From the few that she finds, even fewer are actually chosen. They are the children of Fortuna. They are not chained to a path like everyone else ...but instead are given a small seed of her own power so they might spread her fortune and discord upon the world.

On one occasion she found a newborn girl unlike any other she had visited before. A motherless child born in the womb of the earth. For this unique child, she gave her a very special seed unlike any other. A seed that could grow without light. The power of the seed was dark and unbalanced, bringing only the gravest of misfortune to those around her. As the child grew, she was passed from person to person in her tribe because no one could bare to live with her. Her very presence caused their crops to fail, their water to run dry, their offspring to die. She did not understand the power she possessed - so where ever she went, the people around her suffered. Finally in an act of desperation, she was taken to the wilderness by her tribe and left to die.

But...she did not die. She lived off the land and flourished, the darkness embracing her, guiding her until she started to understand the power she held. One day she crossed paths with a young hunter who put his life in harms way in an effort to protect her from a yao guai attack. He did not know the beast could not harm her, but he slew it all the same. The two became friends and he took the woman back to his village. As their friendship grew, they fell in love - and somehow that love sealed the darkness in her away. They got married and lived happily for many years. Until one day the woman awoke and found her husband dead. Killed in a Blackfoot attack against her tribe, her new family. You see - the love she had for her husband kept the darkness away, kept it contained. But with him gone...the darkness was free to consume her yet again.'

The woman looks down at her tribesman and says, 'Death is not a punishment. It is a gift...a gift of peace, an escape from suffering - a lesson you taught my husband and my tribe today, a lesson I taught your men who tried to kill me...and for these three. They are the lucky ones today. Because a long drawn out life of torment can be far worse than death - a new life that will embrace every man here... as I embrace you as my new family.'

The woman slowly turned around and looked at all their staring faces. When she turns back to face the war chief, she disappeared. The look of relief in the eyes of the Blackfoot changed back to terror as every tenth man became engulfed in a black fog and fell to the ground, screaming in agony as blood flowed from their ears and eyes and eventually dying. The voice of the woman echoed around them as she said 'I am that darkness you fear in your heart. You will never see me - I am she who can not be found. Your weapons can not harm me - I am she who cannot be killed. And your punishment is that you now have to live with Fortuna Mala. And I'm not going away any time soon...'"

Courier can barely breathe as she stares at Amica, frozen from fear after what she just heard. Suddenly, the old woman appears and Amica cries out as she watches Helen become engulfed by a black mist. She fights to breathe and eventually collapses to the ground dead. The old woman in black gives the woman in red a grave look as she says, "A lesson that even to this day, they have not forgotten...unlike some people I know. "

Mala turns her attention to Amica who is hobbling away as fast as she can manage. The ground near the priestess' feet starts to turn into a black fog, when Courier yells, "NO! Curre, Mater! (run, mother)" as she grabs Mala by the arm. Courier's hand goes numb and she feels pin pricks, a sensation that starts to spread up her wrist and arm. She tries to let go, but can't. She feels her chest tighten and is having problems breathing as the black poisonous air enters her lungs and she sinks to her knees. Vero yells to Courier to let go as Mala stares down at her with no expression on her face, and says, "This is your last chance. Just do what you do best and stop disappointing me, Augusta," before finally disappearing. Courier coughs profusely as she regains her breath and the feeling in her arm slowly starts to return. As she manages to stand back up, she feels Vero grab her shoulder again and says, "We're done here. We should head back to camp."

She looks down sadly at the dead body of Helen and says, "I didn't mean for this to happen. This wasn't supposed to happen!" She quickly looks around and says, "Did... she make it at least? The priestess? Tell me she got away."

She feels Vero pushing her towards the ocean of red tents as he says, "She did. But I wouldn't worry about her. A woman like that knows how to survive. How else do you think she got to be that old in a place like this?"

"But what are we supposed to do now? You heard what she said. How can we fight an enemy that can not die?"

Vero laughs, "If there is one thing I've learned from the Legion, it's that everyone can die...even the unkillable. You just worry about Lanius tomorrow, and I'll worry about how to deal with Mala."


	14. Chapter 14: Reunion

_Thanks to everyone who is still reading! Hope you enjoy. FYI: I broke this chapter up because it was sooo long (1 of 3). I'll release the other chapters in a day or two.  
_

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**Act II, CHAPTER Fourteen: Reunion  
**

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**[Novac - present]**

"You better not tell me we walked all the way here for No-bark, Stella!"

She looks up at Boone as she sits next to No-bark on the ground at the back of the motel, shakes her head and replies, "Yeah...yeah we did."

"If you needed to talk to someone crazy, we could have done that at Freeside!"

She frowns, "No-bark is important in my world, not crazy. He's only crazy in yours."

"WHAT?! He was stung in the head by a radscorpion and he hadn't been right in the head ever since! That makes him crazy everywhere, Stella!"

She rubs her eyes as she lets out a long sigh. "You don't understand. If you had an important person that you wanted to hide, what would be the best way to do that? Behind walls and armed guards? No. If you did that, then everyone would think that person is of value, and that makes that person a target. So hide him in plain view under the guise of being crazy - people won't go near him... like crazy is somehow contagious."

"More like dangerous," says Boone as he grits his teeth, still visibly upset.

Stella sighs again and says,"I'm pretty sure you're the only one who sees No-bark as dangerous. But I won't waste more time arguing with you about this. Crazy or not, No-bark is the only one who can help me meet with Julii. This may take some time. Might be a few hours, but shouldn't be longer than a day. I'll meet you back at your room, and bring whatever plan she has for us..."

"Wait. I'm going too."

"What? No...hell no!"

"Why not!"

Stella frowns, "Privacy, asshole. It's been so long since I've seen her last...I wanted my conversation with her to be private!"

"Then speak Latin the whole time for all I care!"

"Why come if you can't understand what's being said!"

Boone pauses then says, "What we're planning on doing...extracting her from the Legion. This isn't going to be safe or easy. You already know we might not make this. I just want to see her one last time...in case things go wrong."

Stella clamors to say something to talk him out of it, but she can't find the words. She looks down at the holotape in her lap, then looks back at him and says reassuringly, "Boone, I get it. I really do. But you don't understand what you're asking. There are risks in this meeting..."

"But I've met with her before."

"True...but that was different. The meeting of Fates...we sometimes explore paths not taken to get the answers we need. And once the meeting begins, there is no leaving and all must participate. You may gain knowledge you wish you never learned, harbor new feelings toward others causing you to confuse enemy as friend and friend as enemy...do things you wish you hadn't. Fortuna knows that I always do..."

"You and Julii keep trying to get me to walk away. By now you should I'm not going to do that. I understand the risk...and I'm willing to take it."

Stella shakes her head then sighs. "Alright. But If I feel at any time your mind can't handle it...I'll have no choice other than to remove the memories you gain there..."

Boone opens his mouth to protest, but she interrupts him before he can speak."...BECAUSE, cub brother, if I don't, the meeting could leave you in a worse state than how you see No-bark. It's better to forget and have your mind intact - trust me on this. Just remember who you are. Remember the experiences that define you, and I shouldn't have to do that. You should be fine."

Stella grabs No-Bark by the hand as he stares at the horizon aimlessly. After a brief moment, he turns suddenly to look at her. He is very focused now, with the look of concern on his face. The two stare at each other for a few seconds before Stella says sternly, "Are you awake now?"

No-bark looks at her cautiously, then nods. "Yes."

"Then tell me who I am."

No-bark looks Stella up and down for a few seconds before yanking his hand from hers and says, "You're a child of Chance, a Fate, a Bellus. You've come to kill us all!"

Stella chuckles, "Not quite. I'm here because we need your help. My friend and I need to meet with my sister, the Augustine. But first I need to know: is the debt paid? Is forgiveness earned yet?"

No-bark calms down, then looks at the sky for a few moments before looking back at her. He smiles, "The lesson was learned, so yes - the commie problems are over. No more punishment for the bad child." Stella breathes a sigh of relief, until she hears No-bark say, "Mother's bringing both gifts now. To make her sad daughter happy." Her face snaps toward him sharply as she glares at him. "But...if she doesn't want both now?"

"A child asks for a new toy, so her mother gives it and now she doesn't want it? So confusing for the parent...you know some gifts just can't be returned." She falls back against the wall as she cradles the holotape against her chest with a defeated look on her face. She mumbles, "So that is what's happening."

"What is it? Did something happen to Courier? Is she in trouble?"

She looks into the distance in a daze, then returns her attention to Boone. She slowly stands up and steps in front of him. "Before we do this, I just wanted to say...when I was captured by the Legion, my best plan for escape involved killing a guard, wearing his armor and walking out." She reaches out and touches the chest plate of Boone's armor with her finger tip as she stares at it. "...except my plan was never for me. I'm the wrong gender."

Boone brushes her hand away, and her eyes snap to his as he says, "What does this have to do with what No-bark said!"

She smirks and says, "Absolutely nothing, Boone." She pushes Boone back with all of her strength. He falls backward to the ground, but as soon as he lands he realizes he's already standing again, as if he never fell at all. He looks over and notices Stella is standing a few feet away from him naked and wearing only a blind fold. He turns around then notices he's naked as well. "What the hell!" At this point he notices he's not in Novac anymore. The terrain around him is unfamiliar - everything is grey slate, smooth rock and no sand with a sky the color of the mountains of Red Rock Canyon. He turns back and notices that Stella is radiating with a silver light like a glowing one, just like Julii. No-bark walks up from behind, wearing the same rags as before, and starts drawing a large outline of a circle on the ground.

"Where are we! What's with the blindfold and where the fuck are my clothes!"

Stella laughs, "You are in the Realms of Fates - this is our meeting place. The blindfold designates me as a Belli here. We are unbiased in how we cast battles, which gets symbolized by a cloth covering the eyes. I'd take it off, but ironically enough I can't see anything here unless I'm wearing it. We'll know Julii because Augustines wear cloaked hoods to symbolize their inner focus...or the fact that they can't be trusted. I can't remember which. But no clothes are allowed for these type of things I'm afraid. A gesture of good faith that we're not here to harm the other. Also, it's more difficult to hide weapons if you have no clothing to hide them in."

"But No-bark is still dressed."

"That's because he's the meeting facilitator. Look, if you have a problem with this, you are more than welcome to leave now..."

Boone grumbles, "Just start the damn meeting."

Stella sits on the ground, and No-bark motions for Boone to sit beside her. As soon as both are sitting, No-bark draws a large circle around them. When their circle is closed, a statue appears across from them. It's dark, hooded, and sitting on the ground in the circle that No-bark drew first. They watch quietly as the statue slowly comes to life. Eventually the figure is motile enough to pull back it's hood and reveals herself to be Julii. Boone tries to stand but Stella grabs him by the arm and whispers, "It's better to stay sitting. If he misreads your intentions, he'll break the circle prematurely and the meeting will end." He reluctantly sits and watches as Julii sputters and takes in huge gulps of air. She looks around quickly as if searching for someone when she finally locks eyes on Stella, then Boone. She looks at them briefly, then quickly looks away before saying, "Why the hell are you two naked?"

Boone glares at Stella, who can't stop laughing but manages to mutter the word 'stone' in Latin causing him to turn into a statue much like Julii was a moment earlier. Stella directs her attention to Julii as she wipes a tear from her eye, "I like your protectorii. So easy to trick at times. I told him this was part of the meeting - no clothes. Really can't believe he fell for that."

Julii says impatiently, "Yes, so easy to trick...so easy in fact you managed to get my protectorii to join this meeting on your side and not mine." Stella's face goes straight as Julii asks sternly, "Does he even know?"

Stella swallows hard. A quick wave of her hand and both her and Boone are fully clothed. She smiles, "No...but I have my reasons for doing it." Julii frowns and Stella says, "Fine...I'll tell your boyfriend after the meeting."

"He's not my boyfriend."

Stella smiles, "No need to be embarrassed over it. Honestly, I'm happy for you, Augusta. I didn't think your kind was capable of even falling in love yet here you are...his damsel in distress."

Julii frowns and says, "Fuck you, Belli."

Stella starts laughing again, "I've missed you too, Julii."

Julii cracks a smile briefly, then directs her attention back at Boone and the smile fades. "I have a serious problem that I need your help with."

"You and the Legion? I know. That's why we're here..."

"No, I'm talking about what's going on between him and the courier. It has to end...but I have no control to do it."

Stella gives her a puzzled look. "Why? You mean you're just afraid to get close to someone."

"But that's just it. Augustine's can't love - you know that. We are selfish, incapable of feelings toward others. We put ourselves first, see all people as pawns in what ever game of chess we're playing that day. It's very rare for us to even hold a friendship as you and I do. But the Courier...threw herself to the Legion so hastily, without thought...to give her life to save him? Does that sound like something I would do?"

Stella frowns, "I know you are capable of caring. I would like to think if you weren't blinded, you would have come to my aid...as a friend."

"True, I would have...but I wouldn't have gone there directly myself. Maybe when I was younger and naive, but not now. I would have hired men to infiltrate and retrieve you. I'd never go in directly in the event something went wrong. If I did, there would be no second chance at saving you. Staying removed means I can retry with a plan B, a plan C, with as many plans as necessary until I got to the one that worked. But the courier didn't do that."

"Maybe she didn't know how to do things your way."

Julii looks at Boone sitting there still frozen in place. "Didn't know how to...or didn't care?" She turns to Stella and says, "What types of people give their life to save another, Stella?"

Stella pauses to think, then replies, "A parent... a close sibling or friend... a lover..."

"Excluding those, who else? Who gives their life to save another ...especially a Fate?"

Stella turns her head and pauses for a few seconds, then says, "Wait...are you saying...you're a protectorii? You're HIS protectorii?!" Stella starts laughing uncontrollably. "A Fati being the protectorii of a normal man. I have never heard of that happening before...you must have truly pissed off Fortuna! How did it even happen?"

Julii sighs, "I have no idea. I just know that's what's happening...why she did it. Why she's tied to him."

"Then just break the tie then. End it."

"Like I said earlier, I can't...because I didn't make it. She did. And if she's confusing this bond with feelings for him...then she'll never break the tie."

"Why is she protecting him then?"

"I have no idea. Fortuna's will I suppose. We could try to walk the path not taken to see if we could get an answer but I'm too weak to do it. Regardless, I just know the courier was born from pain and the path back to her is paved with it. I tried to get him to turn away."

"I saw the signs too, Julii, and I have tried the same. But he won't listen...it's almost as if Fortuna is leading him. It's not about him or the courier any more. This is his trial...to succeed where he failed before. A second chance at redemption. I've done all I could do to prepare him for what lies ahead...but his time is up. We serve to guide, but who are we to alter the fate of man unless they want our help?"

"And if he doesn't make it? What will she do if his blood is on her hands? How many will she make pay for that death?"

Stella and Julii look at the other very seriously in silence for a few moments as the direness of the situation sinks in.

"I need you to promise me... you'll break this bond for me, Stella. By any means necessary."

"What?"

"The bond won't break if he dies, and she can go mad if that happens. But even if he lives, it needs to be broken. You can try to convince her, trick her, I don't care how you do it...but if she won't listen, then do what you do best."

Stella stares at Julii in shock. "I can't believe you're asking me to do this! What if you're wrong! What if this is love and not just a protectorii bond, Julii? You would have me kill you for something so trivial!"

"The world does not need a rogue Augustine. Trust me on this. Look at Mala...she wasn't always clouded by madness. She lost her mind trying to save the one she loved the most: her husband. She found him fallen in battle, barely hanging on to life. She rushed to him, cradled him in her arms as he spent his last breath telling her he loved her, telling her to escape before the foot soldiers of the enemy tribe returned. And once he died, she fell on her blade only to learn that the meridian had just reset...she returned to find her dying husband in her arms. If she had taken those few precious seconds to act as a fate and fall on her blade immediately, she could have saved him and her whole tribe...changed the course of history that day. Kill the Legion while it was still in the womb. But it was already too late. She repeatedly fell on her blade in hopes that Fortuna would give her a chance to save her husband...or to let her at die by his side. Fortuna granted neither. Mala, with all her power, could not save him. She only got to see him die over and over again. And when she finally couldn't bare to be reborn again, after that last renascentia...she came back changed. Engulfed with bitterness, anger, and resentment, she was reborn with a fractured mind and heart with only one goal: to make all feel her pain. She brought that lesson to the Legion, and had I not left her side - she would have brought it to the world. She learned the hard way what Augustine's are born knowing - keep emotion out of your role as a Fate. But the courier doesn't play by those rules, only her own... I don't want the same fate to befall me, Stella...and I know I'm capable of doing far worse. As your friend, please...promise you will do this one thing for me."

Stella looks at her quietly for a moment, then looks down at him. She sighs and says, "Against my better judgement...my word is my bond, my bond is my life. It will be done."

Julii says sternly, "Good. Now wake him up." Stella turns to Boone, and says "flesh" in Latin and Boone returns to normal. She returns her attention to Julii and says, "What's the plan so we can get you the hell out of there."


	15. Chapter 15: The Path To Darkness

_Thanks to everyone who is still reading! Hope you enjoy. This is part 2 of 3 of the broken up chapter. The last one will be up in a day or two.  
_

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**Act II, CHAPTER Fifteen: The Path To Darkness  
**

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**[Realm of Fates]**

Boone is slightly disoriented as he comes to and sees Stella and Julii talking. Stella looks at him briefly then returns her attention to Julii and asks, "What's the plan so we can get you the hell out of there?"

Julii exhales a sigh of relief, then says, "I need you to intercept the courier and her envoy. Three praetorians and a prefect, the Belli. You'll know him as he's the one wearing the pipboy. They have been taking all roads East, but things have changed. They are traveling through Boulder up route 188 now. This is the perfect area for ambush: outside Legion territory means they're on their own. Keep mindful that these men are going to put up one hell of a fight."

Stella looks at her seriously as she asks, "What things have changed?"

"The Legion is looking for allies...using Courier to make those ties."

Stella says, "I'm taking it they'll be disguised. They won't risk wearing Legion armor so far out of their own territory. But if they are there now, we can't possibly get there in time to help you."

"It doesn't matter. They'll be coming back the same way...most likely taking that same path again, so you have some time to work with. When you see them, the whole envoy needs to be killed. Boone can help with that, but the Belli needs to be done up close. You'll need to put the pipboy on once you've finished. It has to be done quickly as you won't have much time before the collar blows. Disarming the damn thing we can figure out later. This should work except... there is one problem."

Stella frowns as she says, "Mala."

"Exactly."

Stella shakes her head, "She's already tried to cleanse your path - killed your two protectoriis and some others. Would have stayed dead if it weren't for me though. But for her to go through so much effort, she's dead serious about not letting you go again. Dealing with her will be difficult. Mala is she who cannot be found...she who can not die."

"It's worse than that. She controls meridians now. I don't think she can restore a previous meridian, but she can create a new one."

Stella throws her hands up in the air, "Goddamn it! Do we have any good news at least? Tell me you at least have a plan on getting Mala out of the picture!"

"The courier will take care of Mala. Just kill the Belli."

Stella asks, "How exactly are you going to '_take care_' of Mala?"

Julli says, "The courier has been hiding a stealth boy. It's unique - reusable with little distortion. It's better than anyone I've ever seen. She'll distract Mala, draw her away while you two deal with the envoy. Once you're done and you've gotten far enough away, she'll use the stealth boy to escape and meet back up with you at the Lucky 38."

Stella gives Julii a deadpan look and says, "This doesn't sound like much of a plan. Does Courier even know about this?"

"No...but she doesn't need to. When you confront the envoy, I'll be there instead of her. Just help me to remember. _Memorare Fati_."

Stella shakes her head, "You know that won't work! Fates can hide and restore memories on people and protectorii, but not other fates."

"That's not exactly true. You can't do a full restore, but a partial restore of memories is possible. It won't be much, but it should be enough for me to work with. "

Stella bites her lower lip as she says, "Should be enough...meaning there is a chance it won't be. This plan is not very reassuring."

"That's the best I have at the moment."

Stella takes a deep breath then sighs, "Fine. But I need more information. Tell me of this...Belli."

Julii is starting to look weaker, but continues. "The prefect. He has short black hair, average height and build...highly dangerous. They call him the witch killer and I'm sure both of us know why. He's also working with Mala unbelievably. Their alliance is best described as old and uneasy though. His name is Marcus Vincentius. Do you know him?"

Stella rubs her chin. "I've never seen or met him, but I have heard the name. He's undefeated in the arena, although he rarely fights anymore. He arrived at the Fort the morning your courier had me released. He made a special trip just for me. We were supposed to fight in the arena the next day. It was a big deal. The guards were even taking bets, but I wasn't worried at the time. I had no idea he was a Fate though..." Stella pauses for a second to reflect then says, "If he's a prefect and not a Legate by now AND he's with Mala, that tells me Caesar is still too blind to see what power he can offer him. It also tells me he's probably tasked with killing Mala, but keeping her busy and out of Legion affairs until he can figure out how to do it. Sounds like he is as trapped in his position as I was in their arena...well, at least he will be until she's dead."

"He might be there to babysit her, but they are definitely working together."

"Which means Mala has probably made him promises to help him become Legate. And I guess what she wanted in return was you."

Julii frowns and shakes her head. "Did she though? I thought that at first too but now I'm not so sure. The courier is tethered to Marcus. He gave her his luck to see what she would do, then marked her, gave her trial by three, then broke her will...and Mala has done nothing but try to tear the courier down mentally the whole time. But that makes no sense. The Belli did that anyways. I don't think Mala wants me. I think Mala is using me as payment. She gave me to him."

Boone blurts out angrily, "What do you mean she gave her to him!'"

Julii coughs, "He's only after the power an Augustine can bring him."

Boone snaps, "You're lying!"

Julii looks at him and sighs, "Ok...let's just say he's sadistic. As long as she complies, she is under his protection. Disobey, and the consequences are harsh. For now he is primarily looking for personal gain. And he can only obtain this path with her aid. But once he gets what he wants...all bets are off. Augustines and Belli do not mix. One will kill the other before it's all over with - I guarantee it."

Stella asks, "But I don't get it. What does Mala get in return in this arrangement then? There must be something."

Julii stares at the ground as she answers, "I agree...I thought revenge but it feels like something else. I haven't figured it out yet."

Stella has a concerned look as she watches Julii quietly for a few moments before asking, "Did he really break her will, Julii?"

Jullii looks up at her briefly before looking away, embarrassed to have to admit it. "Of course he did...I'm not you. But... not all is lost. Your teachings didn't go entirely to waste. Even though he believes as much, her will is not bent to him."

"That is good news then. Who exactly is it bent to?"

Jullii says hesitantly, "...Vero."

Stella is surprised by the answer, as she frowns and says, "That...is very bad. How the hell did that happen!"

"When things are in the worst possible state imaginable, the first protectorii will always come to aid their Fate ...even if it's beyond the grave... I'm sorry, Stella."

"Don't be. I already knew he had passed away...I mean when I was stuck in the arena for so long and he didn't show up, I figured as much."

Julii looks at her sadly, "I meant I'm sorry you didn't get a chance to reconcile before he died. He would have wanted..."

Stella is agitated and yells, "I don't care what HE wanted! Just...just focus on the reason we're here: freeing the courier, right? You know he will not help her escape. He will only help her acclimate to them!" Stella stands up and says, "It doesn't matter because we have a plan of attack now. The sooner we leave the sooner we can get you out of there." She turns and takes a step when Boone says, "You didn't tell her what No-Bark said."

Stella stops, slowly turns around and says, "My conversation with him has nothing to do with what we're discussing here. It's nothing. Get up and let's go...now."

Boone ignores her and continues. "You asked if the debt was paid, if forgiveness was earned."

Stella looks like she can't breathe as she glares at Boone angrily. Julii looks concerned as she says, "Debt and forgiveness? What is going on?"

Stella yells at her, "I said it was nothing! We're leaving..."

Boone jumps up and yells, "I'm not leaving until you tell her! She has a right to know what he said about her!"

Stella looks like she's about to grab Boone and drag him out of there when Julii says, "Boone, oracles don't give information about others. He can only give her information about herself." She looks at Stella and says sternly, " And you don't waste an oracle's time with questions unless it's serious. What's going on, Stella? Is Fortuna punishing you?"

Stella is seething now but barely containing her anger. She turns her back on the two of them, and doesn't answer. But her anger fades when Julii says, "Belli are so prideful. You know I can help, but even now you still say nothing. Things must be bad for you to react this way...I can't believe you didn't tell me."

Stella looks forward, head held high with her back still turned as she says, "We all have our own problems to deal with. You have too much on your plate right now, Augusta. I can take care of it myself."

"I understand...you don't want to talk about it. But before you go...there is something I need to tell you."

Stella turns around and watches as Julii sits, reaches down and a mound of sand appears. She grabs a handful and lets the grains fall slowly down as she says, "You know Fates tend to deal either more good luck or more bad. Once there was a bad luck dealer, an empire killer, who tried to grow a community so she could have a place to call home. Founded one in the middle of nowhere. Eventually over a period of years, it began to grow and thrive. But an army came and claimed it for their own. Then their rivals came, and they fought over it. Yet, both were too blind to see that it belonged to neither of them though. And one person can't fight an entire army. Eventually the empire killer realized what she created would never be hers again. Do you know what she did?"

Stella says, "No."

The last bit of sand drops from Julli's hand, and she hits the mound, causing the sand to fly off into different directions. "So she did what she did best...she cast her beloved community...now a growing empire...to crumble and fall. And Fortuna punished her for it."

Stella shakes her head, "An empire killer wipes out her own creation - why would Fortuna punish her for that?"

Julii says sadly, "Because after the casting...after delivering the last package and walking away, the ground shook and the earth was torn in two. The skies turned red and the screams of thousands echoed for days as they were trapped in the Divide...an eternal hell on Earth that Fortuna created...created through me."

Stella glares at Julii, her mouth dropping open in shock. "You're responsible for the Divide?! I...I always felt that one of us was responsible for that, but never in a million years did I suspect it was YOU!"

Julii looks at her remorsefully, "Augustine's are born knowing to keep emotion out of their role as a Fate. But I was so angry when the NCR came. I just wanted us to be together again, to have a place for us to finally call home. I pushed my emotions aside and decided that if I allowed them to take over then it would be easier to find you and you'd be more at ease with their presence there. But when our brothers showed up, marching under the symbol of the Bull, I knew it was only a matter of time before war would come and I was right. But even worse...if they found my town, Mala would eventually find it too. I became enraged...I hated them both for creating a path for her to enter my life again...for killing my dream. And if I couldn't get them both out and keep my town, then they couldn't have it either. So...I cast against them both and walked away."

"I never knew an Augusta had such power."

Julii says, "That's the thing...we don't. The process of building and destroying an empire takes time to accomplish. We see the series of paths that need to be taken to accomplish the end goal and we take them. Everything is very strategic and political, gaining allies and such. When I cast against my own creation, I thought it would slowly fail and fade away...that the people would simply move on. But Fortuna...had other plans. In my arrogance, I saw that town as something I built...not something Fortuna willed into creation through me. She gave it breath and life. All I had to do was do my job...be an Augustine, pick a side and give it to them, and she would have been happy. But my arrogance and personal interest prevented me from seeing that."

Belli's face shows no emotion as she pauses for a few moments. She then says, "A Belli chooses a victor in battle, not because they prefer one person over another - because if we don't, both will die. Our nature is violent, but necessary - our ability to chose actually saves lives. It is a lesson we learn early - it is a shame, that is something you learned so late in life."

"You're right. You see two paths, but Augustines always see too many. Which is why we try to compensate by taking the emotional connection out of our casting. But I failed to do that, and paid dearly for it."

"You mean the blinding."

Julii looks back at Stella and shakes her head,"No. Fortuna had punishment delivered through the hands of one of our brothers...to teach the courier to remember her history. He had been following her for a while...made her take a pilgrimage through what I created...punished the courier and rubbed her nose in my mistake."

Stella shakes her head, "I don't understand. So why were you blinded then?"

"If there is one lesson I have learned from the Divide, is that Fortuna is more than willing to punish one fate for another fate's sins so they will learn their lesson. But there is no lesson for me to learn from this blinding. Because the lesson is meant for another...the blinding is not my punishment, it's for someone else. And I think that someone else is you, Stella." Stella's mouth falls open in shock again as Julii says, "Now tell me what you did."

Stella looks away and says, "I said I would take care of it! It's nothing!"

Julli raises her voice, "Nothing? Come on...don't lie to me! Of all people, NOT to me! A Belli is taken as a prisoner of war? HOW can that even happen!"

"We can't see the fight that comes for us! You know that!"

"And I know that is why your kind is never alone - Belli surround themselves with people because of this. You might not see the fight coming for you, but the fight carries over to whoever you're with and that you WILL see."

Stella answers hurriedly, "The outpost I was stationed was small - we had so few people!"

"And yet all you need is one! You can't tell me you were alone..."

"I wasn't, I..."

Julii is standing and straight out shouting now. "Tell me what you did, Stella! YOUR sins created the Courier and blinded me! I need to know everything, I have that right! I need to know how far the punishment will go for the courier. Tell me, Belli! How many paid for your sins to teach you a lesson? HOW MANY?!"

Stella stares at the ground as she hesitantly replies, "One." Julii stares her down as Stella exhales and finally says, "All but one." Julii throws her head back and grits her teeth, as if that was the answer she feared the most to hear. She looks back at Stella and says, "And let me guess...the last one is blinded, am I right?"

Stella stares out into distance blindly in a daze as Julli falls to her knees and says, "I'm only alive because Fortuna still needed me...and the blinding won't end until you're dead."

A few tears slide down Stella's cheeks and her lip quivers as she says, "You want to know my sin? Fine. I... I let bias guide my casting in battle. Normally, such things are left to me to decide but that day Fortuna's will was for the weaker force. But I ignored it and chose the stronger opposing force...my side...the side I was fighting on. But there were no soldiers there - only women and children. It was a massacre. But that Fortuna could forgive. What she could not was that I felt nothing for the innocents that died - only for the soldiers who didn't have a proper enemy to fight that day."

Julii sighs, "I understand. This is a Legion attitude. No matter how long we've been away, we still can't escape what made us who we are."

Stella looks sadly at Julii until Boone says with contained anger, "What battle are you talking about, Stella."

She turns to face Boone and says, "You already know...you were there."

Boone shouts, "You're telling me you're the one responsible for Bitter Springs!"

Both have stepped up on each other as she shouts back, "No, WE were! You had a choice that day and you made it. We all did! My casting means NOTHING unless the person has the will to carry out the fight. That is why the soldiers were punished along with me. You see women and children running away - do you follow the order and take the shot or disregard and accept whatever consequence is waiting? WE are to blame!"

"So we were all punished...and my wife and my unborn child were taken away from me because of you!"

"And I paid the heaviest price...with the exception of her, hundreds of people that I called friend was taken away from me to teach me to feel compassion and understand loss. EVERY ONE!" The holotape from earlier appears in her hand as she shows it to Boone. "And this...this is all I have left of them. Once I figured out what was happening, those that still lived I had them record a short message for me...told them to say anything...their name, say hi. Anything to save a small piece of them for me to remember them. So I wouldn't forget that I was the one that got them killed!" Stella is fighting back tears and turns to face Julii who is now standing as well, and says, "But it doesn't matter now. I've been finally granted forgiveness. And my burden will end very soon."

Julii, who's face is very straight but has the look of fear in her eyes, asks calmly, "What burden, Stella."

Stella's lip shakes and tears fall from her eyes as she laughs, "Mother's bringing both gifts now. To make her sad daughter happy...forgiveness and release."

Julii's mouth drops open as her pulse races. "RELEASE! You...you asked Fortuna to let you die! WHY! Why did you do that!"

"Do you know how many times I died trying to escape, only to wake back up chained in a Legion cell! Every day I tried, every day I failed! This was worst than an echo...no loved ones left and I know no one was coming for me. I had nothing left to lose...I just couldn't bare to live like that any more, Julii! I...don't know how to make you understand...but this was hell for me...I couldn't fall much lower than that! It had to end...I begged it to end!"

Julii's face turns straight and unemotional as she stares at Stella in deep thought. She finally says faintly as if in an almost whisper, "This...changes...everything." She looks at Boone and says sternly, "The courier will just have to escape on her own. I need you to take her to the Lucky 38, make sure she stays in the presidential suite. She should be safe there until I can figure a way to get her out of this."

Stella protests, "Wait! I'm not going there! To do what? Live out my days as a prisoner in your tower? That's not living, Augusta! We're sticking with the plan to get you out and that's final!"

Julii shakes her head, "No. My two protectorii and others die when they just happen to be in YOUR company? My path wasn't being cleared, it was YOURS! Fortuna will send every Fate that just happens to be in the same area after you until you're dead, you know that!"

"I am not going to waste my death running away, Augusta!"

"And only one has to get a lucky shot at you, Belli. Only one!" Julii is seething with anger now. She stares Stella down and says, "This is it! I am DONE playing these games! They've captured me, they're trying to kill you...all this bad luck is a little too convenient if you ask me! I say we stop running, stop hiding, and finally start playing the cards we've been dealt!"

Stella looks confused as she asks, "What...do you mean?"

"We have two fates with nothing left to lose and a protectorii that can see the darkness. With him here, we can walk the path not taken..the path that will tell us how to kill Mala and finally rid the world of her!"

"What! Mala is she who can not die..."

"Everything can die, Stella! You and the Legion taught me that!"

Boone says, "What about Courier! We came here to find a way to extract her. That was the plan!"

Julii says, "Except that plan will never work, Boone. Courier almost escaped already - she isn't there because a Belli outsmarted her. She's still there because she got unlucky. And she's going to continue to have bad luck and fail because of Mala. But if we find a way to kill her...things because equal again and Courier will walk straight out of there."

Stella shakes her head, "You said you were too weak to walk before."

"And all bets are off unless we do this, Stella. I have no choice now. No one else would dare take on a Mala like this. But no other fates are like us...Mala isn't a bedtime story or a myth. To us...she is mother. No one else can do this but us...this is our fate." Julii turns to No-bark and says, "Grant us passage to walk the path not taken, the one that shows how to defeat the darkness."

No-bark replies, "That path is dangerous. Both must agree or it can not be taken."

Julii asks, "Will you walk this path with me, Belli?"

Stella's face is straight as she looks at Julii briefly in silence. Stella finally says, "Without Mala, I would have had no chance for life. The same is true for you, Augusta. The pain she put me through for all those years I can forgive. But what she did to our sisters is unforgivable. To avenge that massacre, I would give up everything to kill that woman. Everything!" She turns to Boone and says, "Remember what I said before: focus on who you are, remember your real path. What you're about to see is real but didn't happen, Boone. Don't get attached to it. Don't lose yourself to it." Before he can say anything, she turns to No-bark and says, "Grant me passage to the dark path as well," and the circle instantly fills with red light and everything disappears.


	16. Chapter 16: Solus

_Thanks to everyone who is still reading! Hope you enjoy. A small part of what's going on in here is referenced in chapter 9. This is the last part of the broken chapter (3 of 3). Next chapter is courier again and may take a little bit to get out, but that will end act II with one act left (which should be way shorter than the previous act).  
_

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**Act II, CHAPTER Sixteen: Solus  
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**[Realm of Fates]**

The world bleeds a red blinding light that ends as quickly as it starts. Boone turns around and sees two teenager girls walking up a winding hill towards a large tan tent. The sun is falling in the distance and the sky is starting to darken, but he can see well enough to know it's a younger version of Stella and Julii. Both of them walk quietly as they nervously stare at a man in tan Pre-Legion armor guarding the tent entrance. Stella's head is shaved, her face is more marred with healed over scars and wearing armor similar to the guard. If Boone didn't know better, he would have taken her for a young man. Julii is wearing a long, plain tan cloak. He walks in front of the teens, but no one bats an eye...as if he can't be seen. He reaches out to touch Julii's shoulder and his hand goes straight through. Julii stops for a second, as if she some how felt the touch, and says confidently, "You're an observer here. We have to do this before the path we need will fully open. Just stay close."

"This is our trial to access the path? Why did it have to be here? This isn't going to work. I can't do this again," says Stella in a deeper than normal voice.

"You had a half-assed Augustine last time. But now...you have me."

"Which means we'll be dead before we leave the tent."

"No. I spent my whole life preparing for this one moment, Belli. I will NOT fail."

As soon as they reach the tent entrance, a younger Mala appears in front of the guard, and grabs his shoulder. A black mist engulfs him and he falls to the ground dead. The two girls stop breathing when they see her. The woman motions for them to enter, and disappears again. They acknowledge the command and walk in without hesitation with Boone following closely behind. Stella and Julii quickly approach a younger version of Caesar sitting on a throne. Legate Malpais is standing to his right, and several soldiers are standing in the background. The tent goes quiet, more surprised they have unannounced visitors much less two teenagers. Before anyone can say anything, Julii takes a step forward and announces, "Fortuna - she who was known as Tyche - she who is of the Moerae - the Fates of man, daughter of Oceanus sends her greetings and praises to the illustrious son of Mars." She takes a quick bow, and Caesar looks amused. He asks, "What is this? A joke? How did you get in here?"

Julii continues, "This is no joke. Fortuna sent us to extend to you a gift. The son of Mars brings war - but the son of Tyche, Fortuno Belli, can change the course of victory during battle." Julii motions to Stella, who takes a step forward.

Caesar chuckles, "So you're telling me that a mere boy can fight a whole war for me and win? Hell, bring me 10 more and I can retire." The soldiers in the tent start to laugh, and Stella's face is filled with anger. Julii smiles and says, "Not fight it, but win it. You do not believe a mere boy could influence a battle - and neither do I. That is something I would have to see. No...I would have to taste that victory to believe it. If he can do as I say, then I should be able to fight two of your guards tonight at the same time and win." She turns to face Stella. "But I don't believe you can do that." Stella is seething with anger even more now, and shouts, "Two soldiers against a light in the ass whore who never fought a day in her life? I can do that!" The guardians laugh even more as Julii smirks and says, "Then prove me wrong."

Stella is beyond pissed but barelyl manages to keep her composure. Caesar, who is more than intrigued and humored at this point, motions for two guards to step forward. One pushes Augusta to the ground in a single blow and laughter roars. Julii gets back up and the guards start pushing her back and forth between the two of them as they continue to laugh. Julii throws a punch, and she misses. The guard slaps her and she falls down to her knees. Stella gains some satisfaction at watching her take the blows, but notices the guards are laughing so hard that tears are in their eyes. Julii looks at Stella and says, "They aren't laughing at me, Belli...they are laughing at YOU." Stella's face goes straight as she looks around at the faces of every man in the tent and realizes what Julii had said is true. She looks down upon Julii and finally...smiles widely.

The guards start to walk away when Julii jumps back up and pushes one man into the other. They look less amused now, and one throws a punch at Jullii, but he misses, stumbling forward instead. Julii throws a clumsy punch that hits the soldier on the way down, knocking him out with a blow to his glass jaw. The other soldier grabs his machete but the handle snaps coming out of it's sheath. He plunges at Julii, but she manages to move in time and he misses. When he lands on the ground awkwardly with a full impact to his head, knocking himself unconscious. Julii is panting out of breath as the whole tent stares at the men on the ground. Caesar says, "You call that a victory? You can't fight at all! You just got..."

"Got what? Lucky? That's exactly right...I got lucky! I could fight two more of your men tonight, and I would get lucky again, and again. You could pair off a hundred men to fight each other and my friend here could tell you who would win and be right 100% of the time. That is what I'm here to demonstrate - luck is random to all...except us." Julii wipes blood from the side of her mouth, and points to the men on the ground. "They represent an army on their best day. I represent an army on its worse. And yet here I stand, victorious...because of luck. There are other Belli in this world. The son of Mars does not need luck to wage war or to even win one - but can you ill afford to have another Belli standing on the side of your enemies without one of your own to counteract their effects?"

Caesar stares at Stella for a moment, then returns his attention to Julii. "So what you're telling me is that Fortuna is giving me one of my own soldiers as a gift then."

"Not the solider or his loyalty. These are yours anyways. She is giving you visibility to his gifts."

"I see. And why is Fortuna being so generous to me and not my enemies? What does she want in return?"

"Nothing. _Fortes fortuna adiuvat_ - Fortuna favors the bold. And who army and strength is bolder than yours, Lord Caesar?"

He pauses briefly as he looks at the Julii, then smiles and says, "And what about you? Are you a gift as well then? What can you do?"

Julii smiles. "Yes. I am Julii Caesaris, named in your honor but more than that I am Fortuna Augusta, an empire killer. I walk paths that can bring a kingdom to it's heights by crushing all others to their knees. But that process takes time and is difficult to demonstrate. But this is what I can show for you." She turns to Stella and says, "My Fortune upon you." Stella smirks like Julii is wasting her time, but then her expression changes.

Stella looks at Legate Malpais then at Caesar as if she can't believe what she's seeing. Julii addresses Caesar and says, "My luck gives my friend clarity. Belli see all fights, all battles...but with my luck, I give the Belli focus. Focus to see your battles that have not come to pass." Stella looks up and says, "I saw...a new enemy. They carry the symbol of the bear. Their soldiers are weak, but they make up for it with large numbers. We bring war to them...to a large white wall that hums with power." She stares Legate Malpais down as she says, "But your arrogance will cause us to lose!" The Legate becomes angry at the accusation, motioning for the guards to seize them as he growls, "I've had enough of this. Kill them both!"

"The man who lays a finger on these two will be crucified," yells Caesar. "And I am not beyond crucifying a Legate tonight, Joshua." The Legate isn't happy, but obeys the order and his men stand down. Caesar stands up and walks toward Stella and Julii. He pulls out a scrap of tan cloth that is covered in dried blood, and he flips it over for them to see. The other side contains a patch: an NCR flag. The cloth was ripped from a soldier's uniform. He looks at Julii and Stella and says, "My soldiers encountered a scout this week, and brought this to me. It contains the bear you just described. And we just learned of this white wall you described. It's called Hoover dam. If you saw the battle, can you see other things? Can you two tell me about this new enemy: who they are, their weaknesses then?"

"Of course, Lord Caesar."

"Good." He motions for the the two to head towards the large planning table in a concealed section behind the throne. He puts his hand on Julii's shoulder and says, "Then we have much business to discuss, Julii."

Julli looks at Caesar and smiles, then looks back at Boone and says, "We're in."

A brilliant crimson light fills the world again and fades just as quickly. As Boone's eyes try to adjust back, he hears a knocking sound. His eyes settle and he sees he's back in his room at Novac again. He sighs as he says to himself, "I must be losing my mind." He hears the knock again, and realizes someone's at his door. He opens it and sees a girl around six years of age standing there. He's never seen her before, but she looks at him as if she knows him. She smiles and waves, "Hi, Mr. Boone! Mom says I can visit Carla but I have to ask you first."

"What?" Boone looks around the room quickly but sees no one. He looks at the girl and says, "Come back later, ok, " and shuts the door. He calls out Carla's name, but he gets no answer. He sees the bathroom door is shut, and he rushes to it. His stomach is butterflies as he pushes the door wide open, but when he sees no one is there, his heart sinks hard. He stares at the empty room with disappointment when he hears the sound of a tiny laugh behind him. He slowly turns around and sees a baby girl sitting up next to the bed playing with a teddy bear and a little blue car. She smiles at him, raises up her arms for him to pick her up and says "Da-dah!"

Boone can barely breathe as he stares in disbelief at the girl. He finally says, "Carla?" The little girl laughs and says, "Da-dah" again. He sees his wife in her face and he tries to fight back tears as he picks the toddler up. "Oh my god...I have a daughter," he says as the girl makes bubbly noses and laughs again. He's choking up now but laughs and smiles as a tear slides down his face. He can't stop looking at her. The girl reaches in the direction of the toy car and makes a vrooom noise. He asks, "Is that what you want? You want to play?" She says, "pway," and he leans down while holding her so she can grab the car. He sits her on the bed and watches as she rolls the blue car back and forth while making a vroom noise. He laughs, then leans in and kisses her on the forehead. She looks up and laughs at him, and he smiles back. He hasn't felt this happy in so long...it's so foreign to him now. He quietly watches her for only a few minutes, but to him it's an eternity of seconds. In his heart, he never wants this moment to end.

Suddenly, she stops playing when they both hear a knock on the door. "That's probably your friend again," says Boone as he walks over to answer it. When he opens it, he's surprised to see Manny standing there. Before he can say anything, Boone says, "What in the hell do you want, Vargas!" Manny gives him a surprised look as he says, "Wow, did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed or what? Your shift starts soon, and Jennie Mae can't watch Carla tonight. She's got some Mojave flu thing going on. I said I'd watch her, remember?"

"It'll be over my dead body before I let you or Jennie Mae watch my daughter! Carla can watch her!"

Manny gives him a puzzled look, "Carla watch herself? She's too young..."

"I mean my wife! She should be back shortly. I'll report in when she returns, now get out!"

Manny looks even more confused now. "Are you not feeling well or something? You know you're wife isn't coming back tonight, right?"

Boone is even more agitated now, "What do you mean!"

"Your wife passed away shortly after childbirth, Craig. You don't remember?" Boone's mouth drops open and he can't breathe again. He feels like he can barely keep standing after hearing those words, but then he looks over at her daughter on his bed and he pushes those feelings aside. Manny steps back and says, "Listen. I'll take your shift tonight. And you can take mine tomorrow morning. You sound like you need more rest than me."

Boone turns around and says angrily, "You can take the rest of the shifts for all I care! Stay the hell away from me and my daughter, you understand! That goes for Jennie Mae too," and slams the door in his face. Carla starts crying at the sudden loud noise, and Boone picks her up again and starts to console her. Tears streak her tiny face and she puts on a pouty frown. He says, "Shhhhhhh. It's ok. I'll keep you safe from the bad people, alright? We have to get away from this place." She starts crying again when he hears the loud sounds of gun fire outside. He sits her back on the floor on the side of the bed away from the door, and says, "You stay right here, ok? Daddy will be right back." Carla does another pouty frown, which disappears when she notices the nearby teddy bear and starts playing with it.

Boone grabs his rifle and slowly opens his door to see what's going on. He sees a few of the town's vagrants are laying on the ground near Dinky. Most are just injured, but he recognizes one is dead. It's No-bark. He opens the door fully and walks outside. He sees a group of Legionarries walking into the gated area by the motel. The one Legionary in front yells, "Citizens of Novac - as of today, your township falls within the territory boundaries of the Legion. All people and property contained within now fall under the laws and ownership of The Great Lord Caesar! All Legion citizens must report to the center of town now for reassignment. If you try to run, hide, or object, you will be crucified." A sea of men in red suddenly rush in and start grabbing and dragging people to the atrium area of the motel. Some have their hands shackled behind their backs already and are blind folded, possibly prisoners from a nearby town they brought with them. Before he returns to grab Carla to make a run for it, he notices one of the prisoners is Courier. A legionary just threw her down in the circle of prisoners. She shackled and blindfolded like the rest. He pauses to think of a way to help, but he can't risk losing his daughter. He decides he has to grab Carla and make a run for it; he'll try to help her later if he can. He turns to go back to his room but there is a legionary standing behind him who hits him square in the jaw and he blacks out.

When he awakens, it's night time and his hands are shackled behind his back. He's sitting with the other prisoners, most of whom are either asleep or huddling together and crying. He looks to his right and unbelievably Courier is sitting right next to him.

"Courier?"

She turns her head around as if she looking to see who said her name, but she's still blindfolded. He leans in and whispers, "Courier - it's me, Boone."

She gives a sigh of relief. "Boone? Really? What are you doing here? Where are we? I've been blindfolded for hours."

"We're in Novac. If I get your blindfold down, do you think you could pick the locks of our shackles so we can get out of here?"

"Most definitely. Anything to get the hell out of here." He leans close to her, and uses his teeth to slide her blindfold down. She squints and looks around. She looks at Boone and smiles, "It's good to see you again. Let me see what I can do." She manages to bring her shackled hands around to her front by moving her arms forward and slipping her legs through. She pulls a bobby pin from her boot and picks the lock on her shackles and is free within a few moments. She leans up against him so the others don't see what she's doing and she manages to get his shackles off as well. She whispers, "I overheard the soldiers earlier. They're going to be busy for a while 'having fun' with some of the locals around near the housing area. I'm fairly certain I don't want to know what they mean by that. I wouldn't waste my time trying to save any of these people here. They're too scared to move. We should just make a run for it."

"Wait. Did you hear them say anything about a baby? My daughter is here. We have to get her."

Courier gives him an look of disbelief. "Really? A baby? No...but maybe the guards missed her. We don't have much time then. These men serve under the Sun Legate. He razes everything to the ground and I mean everything. They're going to level this place and set everything else on fire."

Boone's heart skips a beat. "I left her in my room in the motel. Hopefully she's still there. We need to move now." Courier nods in agreement and they sneak off. Boone and Courier manage to sneak past some guards and make it back to his room. Inside, the little girl from earlier and Carla are hiding under the bed sleeping. It breaks his heart to see them like this. He nudges the girl awake and says, "Keep quiet and I'll get us out of here. Do you understand?" The girl nods yes and he motions for her to help pull Carla out from underneath the bed. He stands up and Courier holds out her arms to take Carla. Without thinking, he hands her to Courier and turns to grab his gear bag. "Just grabbing a few things we're going to need to make it across the Mojave..." The little girl starts crying, and Boone turns to see Courier is holding a pistol aimed at him. He instantly stops and says, "Courier...what are you doing."

"On your knees, profligate."

He's full of anger and moves to knock the pistol out of her hand, but she quickly aims at Carla's head and says, "Test me and I will kill her." He instantly stops and slowly backs up and kneels down. "Why are you doing this!" Courier continues to stare Boone down, then looks at the six year old and coughs, "Hey, little girl. Open this door and yell for the guards to come here. I promise they won't harm you. They give candy and dolls to good little girls. You're a good girl, aren't you?"

Boone yells at the girl to not move. He looks at Courier and pleads, "Don't let them take them! You know what they'll do to them! I'll go with you, do whatever you want me to. Just let them go!"

Courier lifts her chin at the six year old, "Is she your daughter?"

"No."

"Where's her mother?"

"I don't know. Probably outside with the others."

Courier shakes her head and says, "Ok. I can promise to spare her from Legion hands then." She quickly aims at the little girl's head and pulls the trigger. Boone watches in horror as the girl's lifeless body falls to the ground, his mind flashing back to the horrors of the Bitter Springs massacre. He looks back at Courier and growls, "I swear to god I'm going to kill you!"

Courier smiles and says, "Death is not a punishment. It is a gift of peace, a means to escape suffering. I kept my promise...she will not suffer a fate in the Legion now." The door opens up behind her and three legionaries pour in. They tackle Boone to the ground and put him back in shackles. Courier puts the pistol away, walks to the door and yells something in Latin, and a few moments later a higher ranking officer wearing ornate heavy armor and a haunting gold mask walks in. He looks at the child and says, "Again with this! My patience is at an end with this search of yours, Augusta! My men are better suited for battle than ransacking towns!"

"This time is different, Legatus. Everything played out just as Mala said it would. We barely caught this one. It has to be right...we traded the motel owner her freedom for this information. She said the mother died during birth, which is a sign but could mean anything. I just need to do a quick test." She motions for one of the guards to come forward, and she hands Carla to him. She pulls out a small knife, and Boone jumps up but one of the soldiers hits him in the face with the stock of his rifle. He falls back down, his nose bleeding now as he yells, "Don't you DARE harm her!" Courier pulls the shoe off of the little girl's foot and pokes the tip of the knife in the bottom of her heel very quickly, just enough to get a small drop of blood on the tip. Carla cries out and Boone tries to get back up, but soldiers are restraining him now. He yells out angrily as Carla reaches out for him to take her. When the guards restrain him to his knees, Courier yanks Boone's shirt open and sticks his chest with the tip of the same knife.

Suddenly, he feels fire emanating from the puncture that spreads through his whole body. Boone is disoriented, fighting to stay focused. Courier steps back and takes the child back from the guard. Once Boone comes back to, she pulls out a small device from her pocket, presses a button and a distortion wave goes through everyone in the room...like a ripple in water. She looks at Boone and then looks at the guards and says, "Ok - now kill him." Boone feels multiple blade plunge into his back and chest. The guards kick him over on the ground as he bleeds out, his daughter screaming and crying again. He looks up and sees her reaching out for him again saying 'da-dah' over and over as everything fades to white.

The white fades and the spirit of his wife suddenly appears before him. She shakes her head and says, "You must save our daughter at all costs! Before they take her away, tell the legate 'in servitio vestro' and he will help you." Hearing the phrase causes his mind to flood with flashes of memories that seem distant yet familiar. He's in the Mojave at night with a women. Her face is blurred, but she laughs and spins when he says 'in servitio vestro.' She points out two rad scorpions in the distance that he missed. He aims and kills them, and she laughs again. The memories suddenly leave his mind as he returns his attention back to his wife. Before he can say anything, she kisses him, then says, "I"m so sorry you have to do this, my love." She shoves him back hard and he falls backward to the ground and the world floods with white light again.

When the light fades, he's but he's back in Novac. He's in shackles and being held down by legion guards. The courier is holding his daughter and the Legate is staring at him. He suddenly feels a burning sensation in his chest that causes him to yell out and collapse to the floor as the pain radiates through his whole body, then suddenly ends. Courier looks at Carla in shock and says, "By Fortuna's grace, it is her! Finally...after so long!" Courier pulls out her pistol and immediately shoots all the soldiers in the room as Carla cries out from the sudden loud sounds of gun fire. The Legate pulls out his blade and says angrily, "Tell me why I shouldn't slit your throat right now, whore! Those were MY men! You had NO RIGHT!"

"What I have in my arms is worth more than the lives of three soldiers! Worth more than the lives of a hundred armies! I couldn't let them live, not after what they just witnessed!"

The legate looks at Boone and says, "And what was that? They saw nothing! He's just another fate! They would have forgotten easily enough!"

"No. We couldn't risk one of our kind recovering these memories. Because he's not a fate at all. But his daughter...now she is one in billions." Courier strokes the hair of the crying girl to comfort her. "She is Fortuna Bona - pure good luck. She can cast none bad. She's the one Mala tasked me with finding. Mala could make anyone into a fate - but her fates can only cast luck. But the Bona - her power gives us the ability of renascentia, to be reborn. With her - we can make an army of soldiers that can not die! If they fall in combat, they come back and adapt. They'll avoid the killing blow and kill whoever caused their death. Casualties of war would be a thing of the past. With an army of such soldiers...there isn't a battle we can't win!"

The legate looks at the girl, barely able to speak. "A...Bona? Impossible. They are so rare...are you certain?"

"You just saw it with your own eyes!" Courier points to Boone who's laying on the floor and says, "One drop of her blood did this. Just one!"

"And if an army of such men decided to move against us, what then?"

"That's the best part. They can't kill you or I, Belli, because they will only be half fates. It's the best of both worlds - undying army that we have total control over. And we can dispose of anyone we see fit at anytime."

"You have no guarantees that Mala will only make halflings once she has her hands on her. She'll combine her powers with this girl to make full fates, I guarantee it."

Courier smirks, "Who said anything about giving Mala the girl? Her powers are useless against a Bona! The child being in our care extends us her protection. She won't see it coming. All we have to do is place a drop of her blood in Mala's food and she'll die."

"But a drop of Mala's blood will kill our Bona as well."

"True. Which is why we need to kill her first. I'll handle that. But I have a question for you...How loyal are your men, Marcus?"

"They are Legion. They are loyal to the death."

"Loyal to you?"

"Yes."

"Loyal more to you than to Caesar?"

The legate pauses then says, "Yes."

"Good. We start with our new army tonight. Anyone who will not follow the Sun Legate will die. By the end of the month, we'll be running the Legion. And then, my dear Marcus...you will get your battles. Your men will set the world on fire. You'll teach whoever survives the meaning of why they should fear Legate Solaris!"

Boone starts coming too again as he focuses on getting up and back on his feet. The legate stares at him, blade in hand, as Boone yells, "Get your hands off my daughter!" He charges at Augusta, but the legate punches him back causing him to fall backwards again.

The legate laughs, "This one has a will that I rarely see in men. What do we do with the halfling?"

Courier sits a knife on a nearby table and says, "He serves no purpose to me now. He is yours to do with as you wish, Legatus. Have your fun then clean up." As she approaches the door to leave, Boone, remembering the words of his wife, looks at the Legate and shouts, "In servitio vestro!" Courier stops and looks at Boone in disbelief and says, "Wait...I didn't know he was a protectorii. But...why'd he even bother when he knows you're going to kill him?"

The legate turns slowly around, looking at everyone in the room as if he just realized they were there, then turns his attention to Courier and says, "Some things in this world are a mystery, Augusta. You never question the how or why of a desperate man's last plea. And do NOT start the transformations until I return. My men are loyal to me...but I said nothing about that loyalty extending over to you. Now leave us." Augusta pauses to look at Boone as he stares at Carla's sad, tear streaked face, then leaves.

Boone holds his head down and stares at a broken blue toy car that's lying by the door. He lets out a loud sigh as he accepts his failure in keeping his daughter from this madness. He doesn't notice as the legate slowly walks toward him. He lifts Boone to his feet and says, "Explain to me what I'm seeing, profligate."

"Go to hell."

The legate wraps one of his hands around Boone's throat and slightly squeezes. "You pledged yourself to be my protectorii and then...I see faint colors around people. Explain to me what they mean." Boone coughs, "I didn't pledge to be your protector!"

"When you say 'In servitio vestro ' to a fate, you're pledging to be their protectorii. Any special abilities you have extends to them. Now tell me what they mean: the green and the red!"

Boone struggles to talk and breathe as he says, "They mean friend...and foe."

The legate releases his grip and takes a step back. He says, "Your daughter had a light of green around her. And red around you. But Augusta...was casting red as well."

Boone replies, "It means she's going to try to kill you."

"In a way...I already knew that, didn't I?" The Legate looks at his blade for a moment then focuses his attention back on Boone. "You're put me in quite the predicament. If I kill you, I lose your gift to see who my enemies are. I'll never see death coming for me. But I can't let you live either...not like this." He studies him briefly then says, "I knew a man once...had a daughter that was taken from him too. You remind me of him. He gave up everything, even his soul, to see his daughter grow up even though she would never know him as father. Tell me...are you such a man? Are you willing to give up everything for her even if it means you lose who you are?"

Boone stares at the legate with an emotionless expression on his face and says, "...Yes."

"And how many would you kill to prove you are worthy of such an offer?"

As Boone continues to stare at him, and the legate sees the killer in Boone's eyes flicker as he answers, "All of them."

"Good." He steps up to him so they are face to face and he says, "My word is my bond, my bond is my life. I will keep your daughter safe. In return, I need someone I can trust explicitly and who will do as I say without question. Agree, and you will be reborn as Solus, my personal liege, assassin, and protectorii. You will have no voice of your own. You will only know my will. Do this and you will see your daughter, but she will never know you as father. It's the best I can offer you. If you agree and break the terms, I will allow whatever fate Augusta has in store for her to befall your daughter and I kill you by my own hand... Do you agree?"

Boone's expression turns to stone as he says, "Yes."

The legate stares at him briefly and says, "And now you cast green. Good." He unlocks Boone's shackles, throws him Augusta's knife and a bag of healing powder and says, "Now, cut off your tongue."

"What?"

"This is not serving without question, Solus. You agreed to the terms: you will have no voice of your own. The Augustine was right - no one can know about the Bona. This will guarantee that you never speak about it. This will also save you from any interrogation attempts should you fall into her hands in my absence."

Boone pauses then hesitantly grabs the two items and walks up to a mirror on the wall. He sticks out his tongue and lifts up the knife. He stares at the mirror for a second when the legate says, "You need to dust the powder on the blade before doing it, Solus. It won't stop the pain but will prevent you from bleeding out. You have far more work to do tonight than to deal with an open wound." Boone looks at him briefly, then returns his attention to the mirror. He opens the pouch, applies the powder, then lifts the blade up again. He stares in the mirror for a good long minute, his heart pounding out of his chest and then quickly carries out the deed. He's bends over and yells out from the pain. When he's able to stand back up, the legate says, "Very good, Solus." He points to the dead soldiers and says, "Now pick an armor and put it on - the choice is up to you. But you need to wear the deaconus mask. Remove the black feathers, leaving only the red. This will hide your identity from the Augustine and give you distinction among my men. No one may see your face. If a man takes your mask, you cut out his eyes and take it back. You may only remove it when you are alone with me."

Boone feels more and more of himself dying as he slides the armor off one of the dead bodies and puts it on. When he slides the mask on, he feels the last bit of what defined him has finally vanished. The legate hands him his long bladed weapon and says, "You will always be by my side, always on my right a few steps behind. If I give you a task, you will carry it out and return immediately to me. You stay in my tent at night, take all your meals with me. You have to stay separate from the others - my men need to see you as an extension of me. Do you understand? A stare will suffice for yes." He turns and stares at him in compliance and the legate says, "Good. And one final task for tonight. We're marching to a new city tomorrow - we don't have enough resources to deal with prisoners and no time to take them back to Cottonwood Cove. That leaves only one option. Kill them for me."

Boone stares at him for a moment, then steps toward the door without hesitation when he feels the legate grab his arm. "This is your moment, Solus. Your opportunity to show the others who you are...make it brutal. Make them fear you. My fortune upon you." The legate lets go of his grip and Boone feels his body surging with strength as he steps toward the circle of chained town folk and starts laying down killing blows on them. When the last one falls, the world becomes filled with crimson light.

As the light fades away, he's standing back in the circle from before. He's facing Stella who's blindfolded again and standing across from him. She says nothing but has a blank expression on her face as they stare at each other. He looks to his right and sees Julii kneeling in her circle. Her top half is flesh, bottom half is stone now. She's staring at the ground and shaking her head. "This knowledge is forbidden...this is why Mala has been stealing mothers. Fortuna's been cheating...she isn't always picking her children from mother's that passed away at birth. Mala somehow figured this out and believed Fortuna was picking mother's to bear her children, but she was wrong. A woman doesn't pick another woman to have a child - she picks a man. Fortuna's been picking fathers. He's the father of the Bona...and if Mala ever figures this out, she'll hunt him down. This is why Fortuna made me his protectorii. The blood of his daughter would have killed Mala, but the a Bona was never born. We wasted our time doing this...we're no where closer to killing Mala than we were before!" Augusta looks at Boone as he stares her down. Sensing something wrong, she says, "Memento protectorii, " but he continues to stare her down in silence. She shakes her head and says, "It didn't work. Stella, you have to clear his memory of this. His mind has been damaged - he still thinks he's Solus. You tricked him into being your protectorii and now it takes us both to remove what he saw here. Say the words."

Stella turns toward to Augusta and says, "I...was a legate." She stares Augusta down and the armor of Legatus Solaris appears on her.

Julii's eyes grow wide as says nervously, "No, no, no...this can't be happening! You didn't tell me you couldn't handle exploring the untaken, Stella...but you did it anyways and now your mind is corrupted too!"

Stella says calmly, "On the contrary - my mind has never been clearer. You have always told me to walk the path...something had done yourself would have led to me to the life I was born to live. And Solus would have had his daughter. We would have had something...but because of you, we both have nothing now!"

"No! I gave you back your life, Stella! Gave you choice - you had no freedom in the Legion! Your father would have wanted..."

"FUCK what Vero wanted! You should have asked what *I* wanted, Augusta! I may have created the courier, but you...YOU created ME!" Stella looks at Boone and smiles under her mask and says, "Now is your moment, Solus." She slices her hands with a knife and grabs Boone's hands. She squeezes them and her blood flows down his hands and wrists, and she says in Latin, "I give you my mark, Solus. You carry the will of my hands in yours. I grant you your revenge." Boone stares at her briefly, then turns to Julii.

Julii pleads nervously, "Wait...what are you doing!"

Boone walks out of the circle and into Julii's. Without batting an eye, he walks straight up to her. His wife's likeness flickers across Julii's face but disappears just as quickly - she is too weak to use her illusions to save herself. She tries to push him away, but he grabs her by the throat and starts squeezing. Stella watches as Julii's struggles to be free from his grip and says, "The ironic part in all this, Augusta, is that the oracle won't end this meeting because he crossed into your circle. Because he's your protectorii, he can't harm you. But now...he can do whatever he wants to you...for as long as I will it. And since his hands are mine now...he can actually kill you." Julii manages to sputter, "Craig...Don't...," but he continues to squeeze until her whole body turns back to white stone and cracks appear in her neck. He continues to squeeze until the statue's head snaps off and tumbles to the ground as the laughter of Legate Solaris echoes around him.

Once again, everything is swallowed by a white blinding light that eventually fades, and Boone is standing back in his room in Novac. He stares at his hands and barely notices the door to his room opening. He doesn't feel anything when the legionaries drag him out to the courtyard with the others. He stares into nothing and hears nothing as the Legion soldiers demand whether him or Manny are Vargas, the sniper Lord Caesar sent them to find. When both say nothing, the soldiers decide to take both back to the Fort. Boone watches as another team drags Arcade away as their camp needs a doctor, but he doesn't care. He walks in line with the other prisoners as the Legion soldiers lead them away from Novac. He turns his head and sees smoke rising from the motel...his old home. A lone familiar figure steps out from the flames and watches as the soldiers march on. Boone stares at the figure briefly, then feels a sudden surge of strength flow through him. His face is stone as he returns his attention forward as they march toward the heart of the Legion...and toward Augusta.


End file.
